Digimon Frontier: In Between
by RadosianStar
Summary: I loved the Frontier series, but it felt a bit rushed near the end, so I thought I'd extend it a little. Starts after episode 33.
1. After episode 33

**A/N: I really liked this series of Digimon, but I thought they rushed it way too much near the end. So this fanfiction is my extension of what happened, when they walked the rest of the way to the Venus Rose.**

**Please keep in mind though, I'm not very good at describing battle scenes and that this is my first anime/manga fanfiction, so it might not be the best story I've ever writen. Also I don't know that many Digimon names, so I might make some up. But I'd be more than happy to look at any suggestions you might have to either improve my writing or make this more interesting or even give me some different types of Digimon to work with.**

* * *

It was the most awkward situation they had ever faced. Kouji had a twin brother he had never met before in his life. As the gang of Legendary Warriors made their way to the Venus Rose, they decided to settle down and take a break. It was a long walk to Cherubimon's castle and they needed to be at full strength if they ever hoped to defeat him.

While Bokomon, Patamon, Neemon, Takuya, Tomoki, Junpei and Kouji all gathered together around a fire Kouichi, Kouji's twin, quietly sat down on his own, isolated from the group. Kouji still wasn't sure what to say to his brother, while the gang had accepted Kouichi as a member of the team, since he possessed the Spirit of Darkness, the two brothers had only just met and neither one knew about the other for a long time.

Kouichi lived with their mother, who was always working her hardest no matter how hard things got, so they didn't have much compared to his brother's family. He also felt bad about attacking the team when he was Duskmon and was actually when they accepted him so quickly. And while Kouji had finally come to accept his new step-mother, he was completely unaware that his birth-mother was still alive or the fact that his parents were actually divorced.

Kouji, the Warrior of Light, stared long and hard at his brother, he wanted to talk to him, so badly, but he just couldn't find the words. What do you say to someone who you don't even know? Takuya, the team leader and the Warrior of Fire, saw his friend's worries and gave him a pat on the back.

"Why don't you ask him to join us," Takuya implored.

Kouji tried to explain why he couldn't, but he was still at a loss for words.

Suddenly, a barrage of thunder and lightning appeared from nowhere surprising everyone. The one who was most frightened was Tomoki, the youngest member of the group and the Warrior of Ice. He tried to compose himself and tried to appear calm, but, when a second barrage came, he ran in fear knocking into Kouichi.

"Is everything okay," Kouichi asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tomoki replied.

But then the blasts came again, louder and Tomoki couldn't help, but duck his head in fear. Kouichi could hear his heavy breathing and see the fear in his eyes. He crouched down to Tomoki's eye-level and gave him a soft smile.

"Do you like playing games?" he asked.

"Games?" Tomoki was confused.

Kouichi nodded with a smile and pointed at the storm clouds. "I bet ten chocolate bars that the next one will hit in the next ten seconds."

It was a challenge, a challenge that Tomoki was prepared to win. "I bet it'll come in five," he replied confidently.

"I'll count four you," said Takuya's voice coming from behind them.

The two turned their heads, to finally notice that their head-strong leader and Kouji had come in. At first, they wanted to see if they young friend was okay in, but now Takuya was interested in Kouichi's challenge.

"We want to play too," the other two joined in.

"I bet ten chocolate bars and a magic show that it'll hit in twenty," said Junpei, the oldest member of the gang, "So swears the Warrior of Lightning itself."

"Well then, I bet it'll come in fifteen," Izumi, the only female member, challenged back cheerily.

With the bets placed in, Takuya counted each passing second, while Kouji looked at his brother. It seemed strange, he was always so quiet and yet he seemed to know how to make other's happier. Tomoki was no longer afraid of the storm, now he was actually hoping for the sounds to come, when it finally hit, Kouichi was the one who won all the spoils.

Everyone congratulated him for his victory and while Kouichi smiled at their praise he quickly returned to his more morose self when the team was out of view. He spent a lot of time staring at the sky, thinking about his home.

"Thank you," Takuya interrupted his thoughts, "I don't think I've ever seen him that happy."

"Don't mention it," he replied quietly.

"Where did you come up with that game anyway?"

Kouichi stared back at the sky. "My mother always had to go out a lot, and sometimes she would come home really late. So, when I waited for her, I would count the stars in the sky or something."

"I'm sorry," Takuya said, regretfully.

"Its fine," The Warrior of Darkness said, "I need to remind myself once in a while anyway."

Takuya was confused, but didn't bother trying to ask, instead he said trying to sound cheerful, "Anyway, it's time for Junpei's magic show, and as the winner of the bet you have to attend."

Kouichi learned that Takuya was too stubborn to argue with, so he followed him to the group. But there was only one empty seat… next to his brother.

The magic show was enjoyable, everyone marvelled at Junpei's mastery of magic. Even Kouichi seemed to laugh, albeit softly. But as happy as they were the two brothers never made eye contact, it was still to strange for them to be together.

After the show, the gang decided to talk a little about the things they were going to do when they got home.

Junpei and Izumi said how they were going to try to be better people and make new friends. While Tomoki and Takuya hoped to see their families again.

At the mention of families, Kouji and Kouichi stared at themselves awkwardly: the two weren't sure what would happen when all this ended.

Realizing the awkwardness between the two, Izumi quickly changed the subject.

"So Kouichi, tell us a little about yourself."

"Well… there's not much to say," he replied nervously.

"Come on," Junpei encouraged, "just tell us something."

Kouichi thought about it for a moment. "Well… I guess I've never really thought about my life before."

"You don't have any friends," asked Takuya.

"Of course I do, although I only see them at school. Most of time it's been just me and my mother…" Kouichi then stared down to the ground, so that no one could see his face. "Anyway it's pretty late, we should all get some sleep." And with that he went back to his isolated spot.

"Big brother's heart is crying," said Patamon.

Everyone looked at Kouichi as he walked away, there wasn't much anyone could do for him, especially since they didn't know that much about him to begin with. But as worried as they were it was getting really late and everyone was tired, they all decided to sleep, leaving Takuya and Kouji to watch the fire.

But Kouji didn't seem to focused at the moment. His mind still wandered about his brother. He really wanted to talk to him about so many things, but the more he thought about it the harder it became for him to try.

"You know standing there won't do you much good." Kouji turned to Takuya who was watching the two closely. "He's seems like a good guy, you know."

"I got that, but… What do I say?"

"It's like I said before: Trial and Error."

Kouji took a deep breath, composed himself and made his way towards his brother, when suddenly a huge screech woke everyone up and a black haze surrounded all but the two brothers and their Digimon companions.

Kouichi rushed to join his brother. "What's going on?" Kouji was unaware of the situation, but Kouichi recognised the handiwork all too well.

"Who would have ever thought that the mighty Duskmon would have a human heart!" cried a shrill voice from above.

The two looked above their heads to see a female, humanoid Digimon flying above their heads with tattered fairy wings. She was wearing what seemed like a black tutu, a helmet masked her eyes and her long hair was almost as long as her body.

"Coramon," Kouichi sneered.

"You know her," Kouji asked.

"But of course," she smiled greedily, "or have you forgotten who he used to be."

Kouichi felt the guilt rushing inside of him, he hadn't meant to hurt anyone, but he could not deny that it was his jealousy towards his brother that caused all this.

But he quickly brushed off the feeling and stared at her angrily. "Cherubimon sent you didn't he?"

"You didn't think you would get away with betraying him so easily?" She laughed at him with a satisfied smile. She snapped her fingers and the black haze slowly began to lift away revealing the four Warriors in a deep trance.

"Everyone evolve!" Kouji cried.

"Scream all you like human," Coramon laughed, "their hearts are trapped in eternal suffering."

"What do you mean?" Kouji demanded.

"There is so much sorrow inside a human heart and I have the power to consume them with that sorrow, a sorrow of eternal loneliness… And once they have been consumed I control them all."

The four stared at the remaining two, ready to attack them as Izumi, Junpei and Tomoki Spirit evolved into their humanoid forms, while Takuya evolved into Ardamon.

As they went on the attack, Kouji quickly evolved into Beowulfmon and Kouichi in Löwemon, in order to defend themselves. But how could they attack without hurting their friends?

"You keep them busy, I'll handle Coramon," Löwemon suggested.

Beowulfmon nodded in agreement.

As the Warrior of Light defended himself against the other's attacks, the Warrior of Darkness jumped up preparing to strike at the chaotic Digimon, but was soon overcome by her attack.

"Did you really think you could stop me that easily?" Coramon huffed.

Kouichi could feel the loneliness seeping into his heart and the sadness that followed. But even though his heart overflowed with it, he was not affected by her spell. He quickly regained himself and tried to strike again.

Surprised by his comeback, Coramon sucessfully deflected his attack, at the last second.

"Impossible," she exclaimed, "how did you…"

"I know the sorrow of loneliness perfectly well," Kouichi interrupted, "I've lived with my whole life so others don't have too."

Coramon tried to call some of the hypnotised Warrior's to protect her, but Kouji quickly blocked their way. Leaving her to deal with the new Warrior of Darkness alone.

While Coramon had a tendency to rely on her trance inducing powers, she was not so defenseless that she couldn't handle any blow that came her way. But Löwemon was a ferocious fighter, not to mention stealthy. It took all of Coramon's concentration just to detect his blows.

Finally, the stress from the consecutive blows proved too much for her to handle and with one last strike Coramon's Digicode appeared.

"Let my Darkness burry you're evil heart," Löwemon cried, "as this Dgivice purifies you. Digicode Scan."

A with that, Kouichi scanned Coramon's data who, in turn, turned transformed back into a DigiEgg and floated away.

With the battle over, all of the hypnotised Warrior's returned to their natural state of mind.

* * *

The other Warrior's had no memory of what actually happened, but they had a lingering sensation of guilt.

"We are really sorry," Takuya started, "we don't really remember any of that."

"Don't worry about it," Kouji assured, "But you really should be thanking Kouichi."

After everyone gave their thanks, the gang returned to their rest. Kouichi returned to his isolated corner, where his twin watched him in secrecy.

Kouichi thought that Kouji was out of earshot, when he revealed to Coramon about how he was immune to her powers, but he could hear every word perfectly.

* * *

**A/N: So, what do you think?**

**Please keep in mind that I don't usually write for anime.**

**Send me some suggestions if you'd like.**


	2. Part 2

**A/N: Here's another one. Please review. **

**What do you think should happen next?**

* * *

Half-way to the Venus Rose, the Legendary Heroes found their path blocked a wall of thunderbolts, striking at every second. The ferocious sounds were paralleled only by its powerful strikes, one single hit could torch miles of ground.

"We need to find another way," said Kouji.

"There's no time," exclaimed Takuya confidently, "We can make it."

"Don't be reckless," Junpei protested, "even if we evolved the lightning's moving way too fast for any of us to dodge all of them."

"But…" Takuya started, but Kouichi interrupted.

"I know another way," he said, nervously.

"Really," Izumi asked.

"Yeah, but its rough trail." Kouichi's voice was so quiet it was clear that there was more to the path than he was letting on.

But Takuya quickly shook it off and announced with his most confident voice, "At any rate, we don't have any other choice."

Kouichi nodded in agreement and led the team to an underground tunnel not too far from the storm area. It was almost impossible to see anything, though Kouichi managed to navigate the tunnel with more ease than the others. But, other than a thick darkness enveloping them, the team found no other complications.

"Hey Kouichi," asked Junpei, "I thought you said this trail was going to be hard."

"That's because the trail hasn't made up its mind yet."

Everyone looked at him with a look of surprise and confusion. "Made up its mind?" Izumi enquired.

"Yes. These tunnels are interchanging, you never know what will happen." Kouichi noticed the slight worry painted on some of their faces and reassured them, "But there is one section that never changes, and that will lead us directly to the castle."

Everyone was quickly reassured, as they all composed themselves and continued their onward trek. But while the others were so full of cheer Kouichi was secretly dreading to reach the area where nothing changed.

A part of Kouji could sense his brother's unease, unfortunately, there wasn't that much he could do to cheer him up. He didn't know his twin well enough to do anything for him as much as he wanted to try. Kouji had spent the rest of the trip trying to muster the courage to talk to his counterpart, though the two worked well together when they were fighting adversaries, neither one could get a word in edgewise with the other.

But, as Takuya had told him before, if he didn't try anything the two would never get anywhere. It would be the very first time where he would open his heart.

"Kouichi," he started, trying to maintain a calm, steady tone.

He stared at his brother with an unsure expression in reply. But, before Kouji could continue, the tunnels began to shift. A new wall was rose from the ground, creating a wedge between Takuya and the twins, and the others.

* * *

Everyone tried calling out to the other three, but it was pointless. The wall was too thick for any sound to penetrate.

"What do we do now?" Tomoki asked.

"No choice," Bokomon stated, "We have to go to that place Kouichi mentioned. The others will meet us there."

The gang all nodded in agreement and quickly made their way through the rest of the cavern.

* * *

The trembling had ceased and the three boys began to compose themselves from the sudden shock.

"Is everyone alright," Takuya asked.

"Yeah," Kouji replied.

Takuya surveyed the cavern, trying to find another way out, but he could only see the one tunnel that was created before them. He took a breath and courageously walked into the unknown while the other two followed.

Tomoki and the others ventured into the dark cave before them. Their inability to see constantly troubled them, as they kept hearing eerie sounds that kept them off-guard. Sometimes they felt strange touches on their shoulders, but there was no one else.

"I hope we reach that place soon," Junpei shivered, "I don't want to be here any longer than I have too."

"Don't be scared Patamon," Bokomon said trying to sound confident, "Mother-Father's here for you."

But Patamon didn't mind the darkness as much as the rest of them. In fact, he seemed to be playing a game of hide and seek with them.

Fearing that he would run off on his own, and into trouble, everyone quickly ran after the young Digimon, while trying to ignore the creepy feeling lingering in the air.

* * *

Takuya and the twins didn't bother to stop at all. The stubborn leader was adamant to reach the castle and rescue Ophanimon, while Kouji and Kouichi were trying to start a conversation with no avail. Suddenly, they hear something in the distance. It sounded like thousands of stampeding buffalo heading right in their direction. The boys tried to find the origin of the noise and saw, right before their eyes a shadow of a beast, it looked extremely large and seemed to have the power to crush mountains, and while they could not see the body that was encased with darkness it was easy to tell that it was preparing to charge them.

It came at them as quickly as it appeared. Takuya and Kouji prepared to evolve to defend themselves, but Kouichi stopped them.

"What are you doing?" Kouji demanded.

The beast was getting closer and closer, heading directly towards Kouichi who was the barrier between the behemoth and the boys. But the moment it reached him, the strange creature began to disperse like dust in the wind.

Takuya and Kouji stared at Kouichi in amazement, but he in turn was unfazed by it all.

"How…?" Takuya wondered.

"It's like I said before 'you never know what will happen.'" Kouichi looked straight at the tunnelas if he were challenging it. "Let's go before more show up."

Kouji looked at his brother, he seemed to be hiding something more about the tunnels, something that affected him personally. The one thing he learned about his twin was that no matter what happened he would always keep all of his personal problems buried away from others, so no one else could be troubled by them. How badly he wanted Kouichi to confide his fears with him? But nothing more could be done.

* * *

**A/N: Let me know if you want more.**


	3. Part 3

**A/N: Let me know, if you want me to intersect any other episodes.**

* * *

The separated team of Legendary Warriors were trying to find their way out of the tunnels that led to Cherubimon's castle. But the journey was difficult, the cavern was constantly changing its shape, shifting from one tunnel to another. It seemed as though the team had been walking for ages.

"I'm getting tired," Junpei whined.

"Stop complaining," Izumi declared, "that won't get us anywhere."

"I know that. But we've been walking for so long couldn't we just rest for a bit?"

While she had no interest in arguing, Izumi knew that Junpei was right they had been marching for what seemed like an eternity. The chances of them of ever seeing the outside again was minuscule.

"Even if we rest, the tunnel will just keep changing and we'll be separated again," Bokomon stated.

As if on cue, the cavern floor and ceiling rose up to become a steep, spiraling cliff. Luckily, the heroes were already halfway near the top. But suddenly, they heard a strange noise, coming from the ground. Once, they diverted their eyes to the source of the sounds, the cavern floor felt like something was living inside of it.

* * *

Takuya and the twins, Kouji and Kouichi, continued to walk on their journey to the castle, with Kouichi leading the trek. Being chosen to harbour the Spirit of Darkness, Kouichi could easily navigate the corridors that continued to create different paths.

Takuya had to act as a mediator between the two brothers, since they weren't on speaking terms yet. They had spent their entire lives unaware of each other's existence, and this sudden revelation was still a shock to the two. It was clear that they wanted to learn more about each other, but Kouichi felt the lingering guilt of being Duskmon and trying to hurt everyone, while Kouji was not the kind of person to be so open with anyone.

Kouichi led the boys to a section of the tunnel where small orbs of light floated all around them. Takuya and Kouji were curious of the small lights, but dared not touch them lest something unpleasant should happen. Kouichi, on the other hand, was the most uncomfortable when seeing the bright orbs, as if they contained a secret to his whole existence.

Takuya abruptly awakened Kouichi from his train of thought. "Hey! Kouichi! What are these lights?"

"Memories," he replied, quietly.

"Memories," Takuya repeated, quizzically.

"Yeah. Just touch one and see what happens."

Takuya did so without question, and what happened next shocked both boys. A sudden projection of one of his memories materialized before their very eyes. It was a memory of him and his family all gathered at the dinner table talking about what most would consider trivial affairs. The memory dispersed as quickly as it arrived, it was almost like it never even appeared. But it did all of the boys could see that clearly.

Kouji, in turn, decided to experiment with the lights himself and saw a vision of him walking his dog on his regular route.

Takuya and Kouji stared at their memories in amazement and contemplation. They had never really valued their time with others before they came to the Digital World, but once they returned home everything would change.

When they finally finished marvelling at their memories, Kouichi led them to a huge, open cavity flooded with light. It was bright but not so much that it would blind a person.

"We'll be fine here," Kouichi assured, "Nothing will shift in here. Once the other's get here, we'll take the tunnel straight ahead, that'll lead us straight to Cherubimon's castle."

"Well then, if that's the case we should rest." Takuya yawned. It had been a long walk and everyone was getting really tired, so both boys decided to follow Takuya's idea.

* * *

_Kouji opened his eyes to find himself in what appeared to be a small apartment. There wasn't much furniture anywhere, although the lack of space made it appear almost crowded. Kouji made way to the dining room, where he saw a woman he could only recognise as his birth mother. _

_She was standing next to an elderly woman, whom he assumed was his maternal grandmother, the two women were caught in a heated argument._

"_I can't tell him that," said his mother._

"_Don't you think he deserves to know," the elderly woman pleaded._

"_But even if everything goes well for them, I don't know how we…"_

_Before she could finish her sentence, Kouichi walked straight through the door. He quickly acknowledged the two women in the room._

"_Sorry," he started, "I didn't mean to interrupt…"_

"_No, its fine," his mother assured, "I was just about to get dinner ready. Why don't you and your grandmother go wash up?"_

_Kouichi and his grandmother made their way to the bathroom of the house, away from unwanted ears._

"_Grandmother," Kouichi asked, not meeting her eyes._

_She looked at her grandson. "What is it?"_

"_That conversation with mother… it was about my father wasn't it."_

_She stared at Kouichi, amazed by his insight. "You could say that."_

"_You want me to meet him don't you?" His voice was so quiet it was almost impossible to hear._

"_I know at least part of you wants that."_

"_Of course I want to meet him, but…" he fell silent for a moment as he stared at his own reflection in the mirror. "I know mother is troubled with him. And I don't want that." He pressed his hand against the mirror's cold glass. "Besides, I'm sure he's happy right now, and he would be troubled too if he saw me…"_

_Kouji looked at his twin, who could feel his unshed tears at the very edge of his eyes. His brother had the strength to accept his family's situation, while he had cause his step-mother nothing, but grief the moment she married his father._

_But, despite his respect for Kouichi, Kouji couldn't help but feel sad for his brother who had sacrificed everything for everyone's happiness, including his own. A brother he never even knew. _

_He wanted to console his twin and apologize to him, but, before he could even open his mouth, a sudden force overcame him and took him away from his chance._

* * *

Kouji woke up with strained breath. He believed what he saw to be a dream, but he knew that was actually a memory…Kouichi's memory. The reason Kouichi felt so uneasy near the lights was because he didn't want to show his counterpart how much he had to suffer to keep his secrets.

Kouichi was sleeping in an isolated part of the cavern, but even in his sleep Kouji could see the pain _he _had caused his brother. Kouji approached his brother quietly, so not to wake him, unaware that he wasn't really asleep.

"What is it?" Kouichi asked quietly, surprising Kouji.

"Um… well I…"

Before he could say anything else, they heard a scream coming from another cavern. It was Patamon, who flew in with a panicky scream. Takuya disturbed from his slumber noticed the little Digimon rushing in.

"Patamon," Takuya asked, "What's wrong? And where are the other?"

"There being chased by shadows," the young Digimon replied, frantically.

"Shadows?" Takuya said confused.

In the distance, Takuya, Kouji and Kouichi could hear the others screaming in fear. The boys all rushed to find the source of the noise. Not too far they found Izumi, Tomoki and Junpei in their Beast Digimon forms, trying to fight off what looked like flying shadows.

They hit everything with their strongest attacks in the hopes of chasing the creatures away, but, as they attacked, parts of the cave began to crumble.

"Takuya," Bokomon cried out, "You have to do something about these things."

Takuya was eager for a fight, but, as he was about to Spirit Evolve Kouichi stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"Don't you remember before," Kouichi implored.

The creatures seemed to have no discernable shape, much like the last time where they had to face a bull-like creature who turned out to be nothing but an illusion.

Takuya began to understand. Maybe these flying menaces were just like the last one they had to face, but he had to convince his friends that. And unfortunately, they were too busy attacking everything in sight to pay attention to anyone. If they didn't stop attacking soon the cave would collapse completely.

"How do we get them to see it's not real?" asked Takuya.

"We need to get them into the other cavern." Kouichi answered, pointing to the section filled with light. "Illusions won't work in there."

"But how do we get them to go there?" Kouji wondered.

The boys had to think quickly or else everyone would be completely buried, but if they attacked them just to push them inside, the caverns would crumble even more. The ceiling was beginning to fall down, they were running out of time. In the end they had no choice but to evolve into their Humanoid Digimon forms and hope for the best.

They used their attacks at a moderate strength to push them all inside the light filled cave, away from the flying shadows. Bokomon and Neemon quickly followed them inside to avoid being crushed by the falling rocks. The other three Warriors also prepared to retreat back into the Light, but one boulder came, hurling down knocking down Kouichi, returning him to his human form.

He was left unconscious, so he couldn't move, Wulfmon noticed this and used his every effort to successfully avoid the falling rocks, grabbed his brother and swiftly made his way back.

* * *

Kouichi woke up, his head throbbing slightly as his vision was adjusting from blurry to clear. Once his eyes had adjusted, he could see that everyone had gathered around him with a worried expression on their faces.

"Are you okay?" Tomoki asked.

Kouichi nodded, a bit confused. "What happened to me."

"You got knocked unconscious," Takuya answered, "You were lucky when Kouji pulled you out."

Kouichi looked at his brother, but he didn't meet his eyes.

"In any case," Jupei interrupted, "that's the way out right." He was more than eager to leave the cave.

"Yeah," Kouichi replied, "But were safe here anyway. This is the one part of the caverns that don't surprise you."

"In that case," Bokomon announced, "I suggest that you all rest, before your battle. You'll need all of your strength."

While the team was still eager on leaving, it did seem like a good idea. They had done nothing but walk confusing paths and attack non-existent beings, they had wasted so much of their energy already. They all began to stretch their limbs before drifting into a peaceful slumber…All except the twins.

Kouji slowly advanced towards Kouichi, taking great care with each step. His twin was stting in a corner, looking in the opposite direction, but he could still sense Kouji's upcoming footsteps. "Kouichi," he asked quietly.

"What is it?" His voice was extremely quiet and his words sounded slightly pained, but careful.

"I wanted to say, I'm sorry."

Kouichi stared at his brother intently, but Kouji's eyes were facing the floor. "For what?"

"For what happened to your…our mother."

Kouichi shifted his gaze away from Kouji. "You couldn't have known," he whispered in reply.

"But still…I…"

"Its fine," he interrupted, "we don't have to talk about it now if you don't feel like it."

As much as Kouji wanted to talk with his brother about all sorts of things, he just couldn't find the words for it. The situation was extremely delicate as it was and the two brothers literally lived in different worlds.

"In any case," Kouichi continued, "we should get some rest. We'll talk about it another time. Okay?"

Kouji really didn't want to do this at another time. He had so many questions for his brother, but at this point there was not much he could say that would change his brother's mind. So he agreed, and both twins returned to their respective corners to rest.

* * *

**A/N: Please review. All suggestions are welcome.**


	4. Part 4

The six human children, bearing the spirits of the Ten Legendary Warriors, and their Digimon travel companions finally escaped the interchanging tunnel system and were making their way straight to Cherubimon's castle under the Venus Rose. The tunnel they currently took was just as dark as the others, but at least they didn't have to worry so much about being separated again.

Even though the path they took was a straight one, there were so many other tunnel systems connecting to the one they were using. However, there was something unusual about the openings, it was easy to see that there was something else waiting on the other side, but at the same time no one could see anything at all.

But everyone ignored the strange caverns, until Junpei detected a tempting aroma, while his stomach was growling.

"What is that smell?" he said, clearly pleased.

The others began to smell it too, also tempted, it was the scent of food although what kind they couldn't tell. Junpei wanted to investigate the smell even further but Kouichi didn't think it was a good idea.

"We should keep going," he said, determined to keep the others away from the strange tunnels, "this isn't the best place to be for this sort of thing."

"But," Junpei inhaled as if he were in a deep trance, "it smells so good," he whined. "I want to see where it's coming from."

And with that he ran off in search of the source of this enticing smell, leading him to one of the void like openings. The others followed him, to make sure he didn't get into any serious trouble, but Kouichi, who knew the layout of the Dark Continent better than any of his traveling companions, always understood that some things, while alluring could lead to the most unpleasant surprises.

The team found themselves in a lush green forest, sunlight gleaming everywhere, with trees bearing all sorts of delectable foods. There seemed to be a tree for everything, tress for fruit, meat buns, hamburgers, even candies were hanging from the branches. The tantalizing smell from the trees reminded everyone of their hunger, so they all eagerly grabbed as much as they could from the trees and celebrated the end of their starvation with their winnings.

While Kouichi was still skeptical, he too could not ignore the hunger tormenting him, so he took a little bit of food from the trees and sat down in a cool, shady spot to eat whereas the others enjoyed their feast in the warm sunlight. Kouichi watched as the others enjoyed themselves, always smiling, no matter the outcome of any situation. Sometimes he wished he could be more like them but he wasn't born with the same privileges as his comrades, his side of the family had and is still suffering.

"Um… Kouichi," said a gentle voice that cut him from his thoughts, it was Izumi. She was standing in front of him with the same sweet smile she always had.

"What is it?" He tried to sound as polite as he could, but his eyes did not quite meet hers.

"I was hoping you'd help me with something."

Kouichi was confused but agreed to her request. He followed her to the tallest tree in the forest, this tree was bearing tiny cakes in its branches. These cakes gave off the most delectable aroma as if it were freshly baked. Izumi and Kouichi both licked their lips at the thought of tasting one of the pastries.

"We all went out to find more food and I found these, but I need your help to get them out of the trees."

She was right, she did need help, even if she could become Fairymon and fly to the tree, the branches were much too tightly interwoven with each other to reach the cakes from the air, since most of them were found deep inside the foliage. Izumi suggested that she would climb up the tree and drop some of the pastries to Kouichi.

"Why don't you ask the other?" Kouichi still didn't meet Izumi's eyes, he still felt nervous around the group.

"Because their all too busy getting food from the other trees," she replied with a somewhat cheerful tone, "So, if you please."

Kouichi was not one to deny her request but he thought it would be best if he climbed the tree instead, still skeptic about coming through the strange caverns.

"Don't worry about it," Izumi assured her voice still cheerful as she already started climbing, "Just be ready to catch the cakes."

She continued to climb, Kouichi kept a constant vigil on her footing as he was still strongly concerned. While the climb wasn't easy she managed to reach the branches. They seemed strong enough to support her weight, so she sat on one of them as she grabbed some cakes in her hands and gently dropped them where Kouichi was waiting to catch them, with each one he caught he would pile up on the ground.

Kouichi thought they had more than enough cakes, so he quickly asked Izumi to come back down. But suddenly, she saw another of the enticing cakes hanging on the branches. It was by far the biggest one in the whole tree, she was tempted to pick it. After all, what harm could one more do? Unfortunately, it was somewhat beyond her reach, but that didn't stop her from trying. She stood up from the branch she was sitting on practically forcing herself to grab it, then suddenly she felt something pushing at her. Overcome by surprise, Izumi slipped from the branch screaming at the thought of hitting the ground. And she was too shocked to Spirit Evolve. As she prepared for the end of her fall she felt something catching her. She turned to see what had stopped her from falling and saw KaiserLeomon, Kouichi's Beast Spirit, had jumped up to catch her. The two fell back down, KaiserLeomon landing gracefully on his feet, with a still shocked Izumi.

The others had heard her screams and rushed over to see what had happened, only to find Kouichi holding Izumi in his arms.

"Are you alright?" He asked with genuine concern.

Izumi nodded nervously, blushing slightly.

When Junpei saw the scene he was filled with rage and jealousy, it was bad enough that Takuya and Kouji were alone with her, but now he had to worry about Kouichi stealing his chance to impress the girl of his dreams. But, despite his red raged face, he was just relieved that she wasn't hurt just like all the others were.

* * *

The sun seemed to be setting in the forest and everyone, whose stomachs were filled with delicious foods, had grown sleepy. But before they prepared to sleep Izumi went up to Kouichi, who had once again isolated himself from the others.

He soon noticed her presence, slightly confused at it. "What are you doing?"

She was blushing with her lips gently curved into the same cheerful smile she was so renowned for. "I wanted to thank you about before."

"Don't mention it," he replied with a gentle smile, "I'm just glad everything turned out okay."

* * *

At a distance, the others were watching them, Junpei was still enraged. In fact, steam was practically bursting from his ears.

"Aaargh," he screamed, "why couldn't I've been there to save her?"

"Calm down," Tomoki said, slightly nervous from his friend's rage.

"I'm a little glad," Takuya said coolly. Everyone ignored their personal quarrels to stare at their leader. "This proves that he's a really nice guy."

Everyone began to return their attention to Kouichi with new thoughts, Kouji in particular.

* * *

"I knew it all along," said Izumi.

"Knew what?" asked Kouichi.

"You really are a kind and gentle person." Kouichi looked at her, confused. "After everything we've been through you still look out for us, even though we hardly know you."

Kouichi wanted to return her compliments but found himself unable to.

Izumi looked at him, concerned, and continued. "You know you and Kouji are a lot alike." Kouichi stared at her somewhat shocked. "It's true, you both like to isolate yourselves but you're reliable when we need you most. The only difference is while Kouji likes to act tough you're always gentle."

Kouichi blushed at the compliment, but Izumi didn't understand his reasons for being so gentle. He and his family were going through a delicate situation. His grandmother had passed away and his mother was working so hard that she looked like she might collapse, and all Kouichi could do was sit back and watch. He had to act like everything was fine, even though things said otherwise, if he didn't he felt like he was burdening his mother. He had to hide all of his bitterness underneath a gentle soul, so that those he cared wouldn't have to suffer. As he thought of this, he wondered if his brother had other reasons to isolate himself.

Lost in thought, Kouichi didn't notice that Izumi was holding his hand. "So," she asked, "why don't you join us?" She didn't wait for an answer she just pulled him by his hands and dragged to the rest of the group.

He always felt strange being near the others but tried not to show it. He just sat down quietly and listened to the different conversations, only joining in when he absolutely had to.

"Hey Kouichi," Takuya asked, "Would you mind watching the fire with me?"

Kouichi was momentarily confused, wondering why Takuya would ask him that, but signaled that he would agree to do so with a nod.

That night, when everyone else was asleep, Takuya and Kouichi were left to tend to the fire. While Takuya was poking at the embers with a stick, Kouichi was quietly staring at the star filled sky.

"Why did you ask me to stay up with you?" Kouichi asked, his eyes still facing the sky.

"Isn't it obvious?" Takuya turned away from the embers and smiled. "We all want to know more about you. After all you are part of the team."

Kouichi looked at him, unsure of what to say. It seemed strange to be surrounded by people so heavily concerned with. Of course there were a lot of people in his who were concerned, but no one tried as hard as they did.

"Besides," he continued, "I want things to work out between the two of you."

Kouichi didn't have to guess to know who he was talking about. He looked at his brother, still sleeping, for years he believed that he was an only child, and while he never knew his father he was quite content with his current life. But, at the discovery of his long-lost brother, he could not contain his curiosity. He had hoped to talk to Kouji the first time he saw him, but saw how differently the two lived.

Kouichi's mother had to work so hard just to make ends meet, even though she was sick, while Kouji's half of the family didn't have to worry about financial troubles as much as he did. In Kouichi's eyes, his brother's life was perfect. If he had revealed himself on that day, he felt like he would've burdened them for disrupting their happiness and troubled his mother, who was just managing to get by.

Takuya interrupted his thoughts. "He thinks about you too. He may not show it, but he's worried about you too."

Kouichi smiled at his brother's sleeping form, maybe one day the two will learn to fully open up to each other.

Suddenly, Kouichi heard something in the distance, it sounded like it was moving really fast, but he couldn't tell.

"What's wrong?" Takuya asked.

"I think something's out there."

"What!" The two boys prepared their Digivices, ready to evolve, but they couldn't see anything. "Are you sure you weren't imagining it?"

"I'm sure."

The commotion caused everyone to wake up. "What's going on?" Junpei asked, obviously still tired.

"Kouichi says that there's something out there."

Hearing this, the team sharpened their senses but detected nothing.

"I think he's just paranoid," Junpei stated, who was still in desperate need of sleep.

"No," Kouichi retorted, "There's something out there I'm sure."

"At any rate, I think it's gone now," Tomoki assured.

"In that case," Junpei whined, "Let's go back to sleep."

"Is that all you can think about right now." Izumi glared at him.

"I can't help it," he rubbed his right eye, "I'm so tired."

* * *

While the others slept peacefully, Kouichi still kept a silent vigil. He was so sure that something would come out.

"Are you sure you sensed something?" Kouji asked.

Kouichi was a bit surprised, his brother was not much for conversation, considering there somewhat estranged relationship. But he replied to him with a sturdy, confident nod.

"But even if there was something there," Kouji continued, "wouldn't Patamon be able to sense it too."

Since Patamon was once a powerful Celestial Digimon, he had an unfathomable intuition. It would only make sense that if the team was in any real danger Patamon would've warned them instantly.

"You might be right," the elder twin replied, "Still…"

Kouji looked at his brother, who was clearly convinced of otherwise. "Then, shall we look for it together." Kouichi stared at his twin, shocked. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to anyone," he continued.

Kouichi was unsure but happily agreed, he wanted the opportunity to spend some time with his younger twin brother, even though they weren't able to properly communicate.

The two brothers split themselves from the group, in search of whatever was lurking in the forest. They came across a stream, where they decided to rest for a bit. Kouichi splashed some of the cold water on his face, while his brother stood guard.

As they were resting, the twins heard a low grumbling sound. The two readied themselves for an attack only to realize that the noise was coming from Kouichi's stomach. He hadn't eaten as much as the others and now his hunger was getting the better of him.

Kouji laughed a little, while Kouichi blushed in embarrassment. They had been walking for a while, so a snack would do them both good. Only there were no trees in sight bearing any sort of food.

Neither twin could ignore the sounds of their stomachs, as their hunger grew. Then Kouichi remembered something. He reached inside his pockets and pulled out a small bag with two cookies inside. He took one for himself and offered the second one to his brother.

"Is it alright?" Kouji asked.

"Yes," he replied, "I'm really not that hungry anyway."

Still somewhat hesitant, Kouji carefully grabbed the cookie from his brother's hand and took a small bite. "It's good," he noticed. "Where did you get these?"

"They're homemade." Kouichi smiled.

"I see. Then did you make them yourself."

Kouichi shook his head. "I only helped make them."

Kouji didn't need to ask to know who made them, he was more than sure that it was his mother who had baked them. He wanted to say more to his brother, but talking about her was too delicate a subject to start a conversation.

Once they finished their snack, the two set back out to find whatever was lurking in the woods. They searched and searched but still found nothing. In the end, they couldn't find anything and returned to their camp.

"I was sure I felt something." Kouichi's voice hinted his despair, but he was still certain that they were being watched.

As the boys neared their destination they saw an explosion coming from the camp. After seeing that, they rushed to see what was happening and they didn't like what they saw.

A giant Digimon had attacked them. This Digimon had a snake's body and three heads, each head roaring with rage. Its brightly scales were gleaming in the starlight like a raging inferno, and its roar had caused all of the leaves from the trees to be blown away in a single breath.

The rest of the Legendary Warriors were attacking the three-headed serpent, while the twins stared at it in amazement.

"How dare you enter my territory?" The serpent cried.

"Who is that?" Kouji panicked slightly at the sight of the giant. It was strange that they didn't notice something that big before,

"That Hydramon," said Bokomon, who was hiding behind a tree to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, "He's an extremely territorial Digimon, with surprising speed, and who's angriest when all three of his heads are displeased."

All three heads breathed fire at the Warriors, who managed to dodge the attack just in in time. Shutumon and Borgmon prepared to strike back, but it dodged them at an incredible speed.

Blizarmon tried to fight it in close combat, but Hydramon's strength surpassed him, even with the other Warriors help.

Ardahmon blasted it with his most powerful attack, but his opponent quickly countered it with another as the fires of all three heads was equal to that of the Legendary Warrior of Fire.

The battle raged on and the Warriors were halfway near exhaustion.

"We should help!" Kouji cried while his brother nodded in agreement.

Kouichi evolved into KaiserLeomon while his twin evolved in Beowulfmon, but despite all of their best efforts Hydramon's strength was nearly impossible to compete with.

"What should we do?" Ardahmon muttered. He hated the sense of hopelessness, as he was the most stubborn member of the team.

Suddenly, the gems on KaiserLeomon's body began to glow brighter than ever. A strong surge of power overcame him to the point where he charged Hydramon without warning. The serpent Digimon tried to counter the lion Digimon as all three heads breathed fire, but KaiserLeomon somehow managed to push back the flames and unleashed a direct blow one of the serpent's heads leaving the other two to tend to their injured self.

With Hydramon momentarily distracted, the other Warriors charged in to finish the brute, revealing his Digicode.

KasiseLeomon quickly slide evolved into Löwemon and scanned Hydramon, who- like every other scanned Digimon- turned back into an egg.

With the battle over all of the Warriors returned to their human forms, drained from the battle. They laid their heads on the cool grass, relaxing at its soothing touch. The one who used up the most energy however was Kouichi, who had fallen asleep the second he changed back.

The others watched him.

"You can't say he doesn't deserve it." Izumi gave a tired smiled.

"Yeah," Takuya sympathised, "he was the one who knew all along that something was there."

"Still," Junpei breathed, "It kind of scares me that he knew before Patamon."

"Well, the Darkness Continent is his territory," Tomoki argued.

It was true as the Warrior of Darkness, Kouichi would know more about it than the rest of them. Not to mention the fact that, while the other Warriors were exploring the rest of the Digital World he spent his time in the Dark Continent.

"Either way," Takuya said, as his breath relaxed a bit more, "he's an amazing person."

Kouji silently agreed, he might not know his brother as well as he would've liked, but Kouichi had shown great strength and prowess, despite his troubles.

Maybe one day, they would share their troubles together.

* * *

**A/N: It's a long chapter, I know, but it was the hardest one yet. What do you thing? Please review.**


	5. Part 5

**A/N: If I put a star next to the Digimon's name that mean's their actual Digimon, although I don't think I need to. But with the Digimon that actually exist I won't give a description, unless you want me to describe them, then let me know. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and please review.**

**I want to do a shout out to vire the first reviewer to this story. Thanks for the review, I hope to hear from you and other reviewers soon.**

* * *

The team made it out of the forest, but found themselves in a cavern unfamiliar to Kouichi who had spent much time in the Dark Continent. It seemed that once you crossed the strange tunnels, you can't go back the way you came, which made things problematic for the Warriors- who were now lost. Unfortunately for them, while their path was still straight, the odd tunnels were still present.

The team was a little mad at Junpei for straying from the group, causing them all to be lost. But there was no time for blame, when they desperately needed to reach the Venus Rose.

The walk started to become tiresome, until the heroes came at a cross-road of three different tunnels.

"Which one should we take?" Izumi asked.

"I don't know," Kouichi responded, slightly embarrassed, "Nothing here is familiar to me."

"Oh, "Junpei whined, trying to mask the panic in his voice, "what should we do now?"

"We don't have a choice," said Kouji, "we'll just have to pick one."

They were about to pick a tunnel, when a sound began to rouse Tomoki. "Everyone, can you hear that?"

Everyone perked their ears to hear what Tomoki had heard. It was the sound of water dripping. While it's not unnatural to hear such a sound in caves, it was strange to hear it, since nothing was even wet.

At first, they thought it was nothing to worry about until dripping turned into trickling and the trickling into gushing. Soon a tidal wave raged through the tunnels sweeping the team away, separating them throughout the three tunnels. Kouich and Tomoki were carried off to the middle tunnel, Izumi, Jupei and their Digimon companions, drifted away to the left tunnel, leaving Takuya and Kouji to fend themselves against the raging waters in the right tunnel.

* * *

Tomoki woke up, slightly dazed. He remembered water rushing in and pulling him under. Tomoki was still too young to swim as well as the others, but surprisingly he found himself on dry land, despite the water still flowing violently a mere two feet away.

"Are you okay?" said a familiar voice. Still dazed, Tomoki recognised the voice, but didn't know its owner.

Tomoki turned his attention away from the water to the owner of the voice. He had hoped to find his surrogate brother, Takuya, or even Kouji, but was shocked to find Kouichi was the one called to him. Tomoki wasn't disappointed to find him there, after all, despite their past quarrels when he was Duskmon, Kouichi was a kind person, but they had not known each other for very long. He had considered all of the other Warriors as his surrogate siblings, yet he still considered Kouichi to be a stranger.

Trying to be polite, Tomoki gave him a quick nod, which he returned with a soft smile. "I'm glad," Kouichi replied.

"Where are we?" Tomoki asked.

"I'm not sure, but I don't see a way out."

The two searched every inch of the area and not a single exit, until Tomoki spotted one of the strange openings. It was a risky move, since they didn't know where they would end up and they wouldn't be able to go back the way they came in. But they had no choice, the two entered the strange breach and prepared themselves for what was to come.

* * *

The torrent began to die down, making the waters still enough for Izumi and the others to head to shore. The group was tired from the ragging rapids and were grateful to finally be able to rest, but they were also eager to join up with the rest of the group. Although, strange as it seemed, it looked like there was no other way out than through one of the odd entryway they had seen before.

"It looks scary," said Neemon.

Bokomon snapped his waistband in reply to his remark. "Stop talking! You're scaring Patamon."

But the young Digimon was far from scared. In fact, he seemed drawn to the opening. Having once been one of the Three Great Angel Digimon, everyone knew that he had a strong insight. So Junpei and Izumi needed to trust that insight in the hopes of reuniting with the others.

* * *

Takuya and Kouji woke up in what looked like a void. There was nothing there, not even an opening, just empty space…

Worried about their teammates, the two boys searched frantically for a way out but found nothing.

Suddenly, two holes began to form above their heads, but they weren't openings. Images began to form from inside them, one of Tomoki and Kouichi and one of the rest of the team.

"Guys," Takuya cried, hoping the others could hear him, "we're here."

"It's no use," Kouji said, frustrated, "All we can do is watch them."

Kouji paid close attention to the window from which he could see his twin, how he wished he could be there. He would've jumped at the chance to try to communicate with his counterpart. When he first realized they were brothers, he was surprised, but a part of him was thrilled to have a sibling. After spending time with Takuya and the others, he was beginning to enjoy company. Maybe he and his twin could keep each other company. The two clearly shared a sense of loneliness albeit for different reasons and they both really wanted to know about the remainder of their family.

They may not be close now but one day, Kouji hoped, they would as close as brothers could be.

* * *

Kouichi and Tomoki found themselves in what looked like a play-room. A small table was at the center with toys and games scattered all over the place. There were even a few children drawings that hung on the walls.

Tomoki was amazed by the amount of toys that lay before him, and wanted to play with some of them, but understood that getting to the others was their first objective. Unfortunately, they couldn't find an exit anywhere. They searched the place from top to bottom but the closest thing they found to an exit was a door that led to a kitchen.

"What should we do?" asked Tomoki.

"We don't have a choice. We'll just have to wait for an exit to appear."

Suddenly, they heard the faint sound of whimpering coming from under the table. Kouichi and Tomoki stood on opposite ends of the table and slowly crouched down to find the source of the sound, expecting it to be a threat. But instead they found a group of young frightened Digimon. Like most young Digimon they had a round shape, but each one had distinctive characteristics that differentiated them from the others. They were all shaking with fear when they were discovered by the human children, fearing that they would hurt them.

Realizing that their presence was causing the young ones anxiety, Kouichi slowly reached his hand out to them and said with a gentle voice, "We're sorry to have startled all of you. Won't you come and play with us."

The young ones were confused at first but became excited at the thought of playing with their toys and games. So, they all quickly bounced out of their hiding spot and began to pulling the two humans in every direction, each one wanting them to play something different.

Everyone was having so much fun playing with the human children except for one young Digimon called Nyaromon*, who was isolated from the rest of the group, happily playing with a set of building blocks. The little Digimon seemed to prefer to play alone instead of with the others. Then another Digimon flew by called Pagumon*.

"Give me those blocks," Pagumon ordered maliciously.

Nyaromon was slightly frightened by him, but he ignored Pagumon and continued to play with the blocks.

Angered, Pagumon knocked over Nyaromon's tower of blocks and then began to cry.

Kouichi and Tomoki heard the cries and rushed in to see what was happening.

They asked both Digimon what had happened and Pagumon was the first to explain. "I was just playing by myself and Nyaromon knocked over my tower for no reason."

The two humans looked at the cat-like Digimon, but Tomoki was the one to scold him.

"Nyaromon," Tomoki scorned, "Don't be mean. We're all supposed to be friends here."

Tomoki never tolerated bullies to begin with and scolded the idea altogether, but he didn't realize how strongly it affected victims, when no one knows who the real bully is. Nyaromon remained silent at the accusation, thinking that no one would believe the truth. So he quietly left to play in another little corner.

"Geez," Tomoki sighed, "I just wanted him to apologize."

Kouichi had lived a hard life, which led him to conceal his true feelings so that he wouldn't burden anyone. And, being an expert at hiding the truth, he knew that there was more to this story than Pagumon was letting on.

After a vigorous amount of games, the young ones became extremely hungry, so the two human offered to make them something to eat. They made their way towards the kitchen they had found earlier and looked for the ingredients that they would need.

* * *

Kouji stared intently at the window displaying his twin. Somehow he could sense his brother's feelings towards the situation as if he had experienced it firsthand. But that didn't seem possible since they were two completely different people even though they're twins. Not to mention Light and Darkness, while inseparable are natural opposites.

And yet he seemed to understand his counterpart to some extent. He could sense Kouichi's pain and anger even though he masked it with such a gentle smile. This made him want to learn more about his brother's life...not just because they shared a mother but because they had a surprisingly strong connection.

* * *

Kouichi and Tomoki were now chopping vegetables; Kouichi cut the carrots while Tomoki was charged with the onions. Tomoki liked onions when they were cooked, but they were a pain to cut. Unwanted tears streamed from his face as the onions irritated his eyes. It was an unpleasant feeling for the young human.

"I hate this," the young one whined wiping the tears from his eyes and there were still so many onions left uncut.

Noticing his discomfort, Kouichi took a bowl of water and placed it next to the cut onions.

Confused Tomoki stared at him quizzically until he replied, "It helps stop the crying. The onions absorb the moisture slowing down the chemicals that irritate the eye."

"I see. You know a lot about this stuff," Tomoki said genuinely impressed.

"It's not really a big deal I do it a lot," he said as he finished cutting the carrots and moved on to something else. "Besides this is your doing a good job for someone who doesn't usually cook at all."

"But it's amazing you know so much." Tomoki's amazement was boundless. All of his other comrades seemed to show their talents right away, but Kouichi seemed to hide them until they were needed.

"Lots of people know things that they try to hide," he simply said.

Tomoki was confused but shrugged it off as he continued to cut the onions. It seemed as though Kouichi's trick was working because his eyes didn't sting as much.

* * *

It was time to serve the food. The two humans had prepared a vast array of things to eat that caused everyone's mouth to water at the sight. No one hesitated to take a bite out of everything in an almost savage manner.

The little Nyaromon was the only one who didn't eat yet. He seemed slightly depressed as he continued to play by himself. Then Kouichi came from behind him with a plate full of food and placed next to the young Digimon.

"You have to eat to," the human encouraged with a smile.

Nyaromon looked at him curiously. "You're not angry he asked about what happened before?"

"I can't be mad at something I don't know."

Nyaromon was stunned, he didn't expect anyone to believe that Pagumon's story wasn't true.

"I understand," he continued, "you don't like to cause a fuss, so you keep quiet…But is it really alright when you didn't really do anything wrong."

The young Digimon considered this for a minute and replied, "But I don't think they'd believe me anyway."

"Maybe, but it'll only get worse." Kouichi looked at the little Digimon who stared back at him, eyes filled with intent. "I understand…you're scared that you might not like what will happen next, but what about the others who suffer because of this lie."

"Others?" Nyaromon asked.

"He might do the same thing to the other Digimon and because everyone thinks that Pagumon can do no wrong everyone will believe him instead. Are you really okay with that?"

The cat-like Digimon looked down, a bit disappointed in himself. He had never thought about that before, he never really minded what the others thought about him, he just wanted to play without being troubled.

"I won't say anything if you don't want me to," the human continued and with that he left the young Digimon to his thoughts.

* * *

When everyone had finished their meal, they returned to their fun. A small group of Digimon invited Tomoki to play with the toy arrows. Everyone was trying their best to hit a bull's eye, but the young human couldn't even hit the target. And his frustration only led to his determination to at least hit one point of target. But soon his goal became too hard to continue.

Depressed by his loss young Tomoki was left to skulk, when Kouichi placed a gentle reassuring hand on his shoulder and said, "You need to calm down and keep a sharp eye otherwise you'll always miss."

Tomoki was sure that he was talking about the arrows, it was true that he was in a rush to make the shot but he didn't expect his impatience to affect his aim. So with Kouichi's advice in mind, he tried the toy arrows again, this time taking head to maintain his concentration.

He placed the arrow in the bow then drew it back, focusing on the target the entire time. He calmed himself, picked a spot to shoot and released is projectile, finally landing on the target. Not exactly a bull's eye but he was proud that the arrow had actually gone in a place that he wanted it to go.

Proud of his accomplishment, Tomoki celebrated his victory with the younger ones, who in turn cheered with delight. But not before going up to the Warrior of Darkness.

"Thank you, Kouichi." Tomoki gave him a grateful smile. "I'm sure you'll make a great brother."

Kouichi was left somewhat shocked by the remark. It wasn't that he didn't want Kouji to be a part of his family, but for as long as he could remember it had always been him and his mother, and occasionally his grandmother. He just hadn't prepared himself for what would happen once they all returned home. He had spent his whole life believing that he was an only child, and Kouji had believed the same… one way or another there lives were certainly going to change. But Kouichi kept on wondering if this was a good kind of change.

There was also the issue of his father, that he never even knew, and his new wife. She seemed nice but would he even accept Kouichi into his care. After all, he hadn't told anyone that he was actually the father of twin sons- not even to the twin he was raising- and he had left his first wife without considering the consequences of their divorce and claimed her to be dead. It's not that he hated his father for the divorce, but it just felt as though he wanted the rest of his so called family to disappear.

Nonetheless, Kouichi thanked Tomoki for the remark, trying to ignore his anxieties for the time being.

"I think Kouji's really lucky," Tomoki continued, "you're really nice and you know a lot of things."

Kouichi looked at the young boy with a caring smile in reply. "You said you have an older brother, right?"

Tomoki nodded.

"...What's he like?"

Tomoki pondered his question for a moment. "Well, he's in University now so I don't see him too much, but when I do see him we never played a lot. At first, I thought he was being selfish, but then I realized that he was trying to show me how spoiled I was."

"I see," Kouichi said, genuinely interested.

"When I go home, I'm going to thank him and show him how much I love him." Tomoki noticed Kouichi's troubled face, forgetting that the twins were undergoing a bit of an estranged relationship, realizing his error he quickly added, "Don't worry about Kouji, he's really nice. He doesn't like to show his feelings too much but he does care. And he worries about you a lot…"

Kouichi glanced at Tomoki somewhat surprised. Takuya had told him the same thing and hearing those words being repeated made it feel strange.

"I can tell," he continued, "he looks at you with a worried face because even though you smile you look sad." Tomoki caught himself before he continued, "But it's probably none of my business."

"It's alright," Kouichi replied, "It's just a new experience to me that's all."

"Well, I think you'll be a really good brother." Tomoki smiled.

"Thank you." Kouichi smiled back.

* * *

Izumi, Junpei and their Digimon companions found themselves in what appeared to be an ordinary forest. Trees full of fruit and green shrubbery all around, a clear blue sky and peaceful winds. There was no danger at the moment but the gang needed to find their way to the others. They needed to stop Cherubimon from completing his conquest of the Digital World.

They had wondered the path for a while with no success so they all decided to rest by a stream for a bit until they came up with a new plan. Izumi and Junpei splashed a bit of water on their faces, while Bokomon was doting on Patamon to take a bath and Neemon was swimming without a care in the world.

While they cooled off in the water everyone was aroused by Junpei's question, "Hey, do you all really think we can trust Kouichi?"

"What's with this all of a sudden?" Izumi retorted, curiously.

"It's just that he used to work for Cherubimon and I don't want to risk any ambushes."

"You don't have to worry about him," Bokomon replied, "He was chosen to inherit the Spirits of the Ten Legendary Warriors just like the rest of you. The Warrior of Darkness is the most mysterious of them all but he's still one of you."

Junpei still wasn't entirely convinced so Izumi decided to try to soothe his troubles. "You know when I first came here I always thought people didn't like me because I was different but now I realize they didn't want to be with me because I pushed them away. If you push Kouichi away without even trying to understand him you'll never know if you can trust him for sure."

"I guess you're right," he smiled at her but still hesitated. Pushing someone away with haste is one thing but gaining trust was completely different.

Still sensing doubt Izumi continued, "You know the first time I saw you I thought you were careless by choice but now I think you want to make friends but don't know how to just yet." Junpei stared into her eyes. "So, now I want to know you better."

Junpei was flustered with excitement, excitement he couldn't contain when he rushed to his crush fully expecting her to reply happily only to find that she was preparing to deliver a light but harsh blow to his head, when he got too close.

"Don't go getting ideas," she glared with a playful air, "I said I want to know you better, but that don't misinterpret what I say."

Junpei backed away appologizing, he liked Izumi but knew from experience that she was quite capable of defending herself from anyone.

* * *

Exhausted from playing, the young Digimon fell into a deep sleep. Some slept amongst their unfinished games while others had cleaned up their portion of the room before retiring to slumber. They all slept peacefully, with nothing but sweet dreams invading their minds.

All except Pagumon…who was still awake.

He slowly crept amongst the sleeping forms to make his way towards Nyaromon. It seemed that blaming the cat-like Digimon for the block tower incident wasn't enough for him. He needed to get him into really big trouble. So, as Pagumon approached the sleeping Digimon, he prepared to fire at it with a poisonous attack only to be stopped by a strange shield.

Angry, Pagumon turned to see who had shielded Nyaromon from his attack and saw before his very eyes the Legendary Warrior of Darkness.

Then he heard a voice call his name, it was the young human who had believed his lie. He seemed upset at what had happened, demanding an explanation. He hadn't noticed that everyone had already awoken and witnessed his attempt to attack the cat-like Digimon. Pagumon was embarrassed at both his failure and his behaviour.

Then he saw the Warrior of Darkness turn into the other human child and realized that both children must've inherited their Spirits.

Pagumon was genuinely if not slightly sorry for his behaviour, all he wanted to do was play with the blocks but Nyaromon wouldn't let him. The other Digimon explained that it was because he hadn't asked him nicely.

"I'm sorry I blamed you Nyaromon," said Tomoki, embarrassed."

"It's alright," the Digimon replied, "I should've said something." He looked at Kouichi, surprised to believe what he had seen. He had been defended by a Legendary Warrior without even realizing it.

"In any case," Tomoki pressed, "I still want you two to play together."

Both Digimon nodded as Nyaromon offered Pagumon to build a tower together.

Tomoki and Kouichi smiled at the two new friends, when an opening appeared. It was time to leave. They said their farewells and made their way back to the intertwining system of caverns.

"Hey Kouichi," Tomoki asked.

"What is it?"

"You knew about Nyaromon, didn't you?" Tomoki's eyes didn't exactly meet his.

Kouichi nodded.

"Then why didn't you say something before." His voice was a bit forceful. Tomoki felt guilty about punishing a bully who wasn't even a bully at all.

"There are people who keep secrets because they think it'll protect them or those around them. Sometimes they can be wrong, but if you reveal something that doesn't want to show itself you could make things worse."

"Still," Tomoki pondered, "won't things get worse if you don't say anything?"

"You might be right. But those people feel safer when they're alone."

Tomoki didn't bother trying to continue. He kept his silence and the two walked off in search of their missing teammates.

* * *

**A/N: So, what do you think I should do the next one about? Do you think I should continue? **


	6. Part 6

**A/N: I'm planning to write my version of the second season of the Frontier series and post it. For those who have enjoyed my stories on the series so far and think that I could write an interesting second season, if you're interested in a sneak peak, let me know in a review or in a PM and in the next chapter of this series I'll give you a little summary. Tell me what you think of the summary in a review or send me a PM about your opinion. I want to know what you think about the idea before I start writing it. **

**But for now enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

They had wandered for hours in the strange forest, in the hopes of finding a way back to their friends, only to find a vast ocean in their way.

Junpei was wondering if they would ever find their way out. Izumi scolded him for thinking as such stating that they would make it out for sure. Although, deep down, she felt more like she was encouraging herself more than her comerades.

After hours of walking, the group was becoming cranky, tired and paranoid. Bokomon was scorning Neemon for sleeping, while simultaneously doting on Patamon. Junpei was complaining about small things like his height, and Izumi was constantly scorning him for every sound that escaped his mouth.

They had planned on resting, at first, but their anticipation to reach the Venus Rose was too strong. Not to mention that there wasn't anywhere comfortable to rest in sight. The land they treaded on was filled with thorn bushes and the path they walked on was too narrow for them to just sit down. They had no other choice but to continue walking.

They had hoped to find some sort of clearing, something to indicate that they could finally relax, but no such luck. As time passed, the group became more and more irritated, until they stumbled upon something…something that they couldn't believe…

* * *

Tomoki and Kouichi found their way to an empty void of a room. There they found two of their missing companions, Takuya and Kouji. Takuya, relieved to see his surrogate little brother safe and sound, rushed to Tomoki's side. The young boy in turn ran as quickly as his feet could allow him. Both were glad to be reunited.

The twins watched the surrogate brothers with envious eyes. Their communication seemed so natural compared to the twins. Deep down, they wanted nothing more than to be so close, but circumstances made it extremely difficult for them to interact with each other at all.

"Are you okay Tomoki?" Takuya asked.

He nodded. "I'm fine. Besides, Kouichi was with me the whole time, you didn't need to worry."

Then, Tomoki glanced at the elder twin with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"I didn't do anything in particular," the twin replied, genuinely confused by Tomoki's words of gratitude.

"That's not true," Tomoki insisted, "You were the one who pulled me out of the water. Right?"

Kouichi stared at the young one, surprised, he didn't expect him to remember much of the raging torrent after being unconscious for the most part. Actually, Kouichi had hoped he didn't remember anything of the incident at all. He couldn't tell if he was blushing from embarrassment or guilt. For as long as he could remember, Kouichi didn't enjoy being the center of attention for so long, he was suffering but he knew that those around him were suffering even more than he was. So he kept quiet, being both unsure of himself and those who surrounded his life. If he tried to do anything that could change the way his life already was, he felt like he would trouble everyone and intensify their pain. Unfortunately, his silence eventually increased his own

Takuya interrupted Kouichi's thought. "Izumi and the others aren't with you?"

Kouichi shook his head. "We all got separated in the flood, I don't know where they drifted off to."

"We should start looking for them then," Kouji declared.

The other three nodded in agreement.

Upon their agreement, an opening appeared before them and, having no other options, the three boys quickly made their way through. They found themselves in a land filled with lush greenery, but there was no sign of their friends. Unsure of what to do now, the boys simply continued walking straight, until they found a giant building standing in their way.

It was a grand structure, four stories tall and wider than any house they had ever seen. It looked very much like an old fashioned European house, whitewashed bricks, ivory vines clinging to the outside walls, shutters at every window and doors so ornate that they could have once been part of a palace. At the front of the main gate hung a large banner with the words GRAND OPENING written in bright red.

"I wonder who lives there," Tomoki asked.

Takuya made his way to the front door, confidence filled his stride. "Let's ask if anyone has seen the others." And with that he grabbed the knocker and banged the door just loud enough to be audible.

The door peered open and the humans were greeted by a bird Digimon with short brown feathers, a bone white head, green plumage on the back of its head in the shape of spikes and it walked on two legs much like an ostrich.

"Hello," the Digimon greeted them politely, "my name is Kiwimon* and I welcome you to the Grand Opening of the Tunnel Town Hotel."

"Tunnel Town?" Kouji asked. They were still unfamiliar with the Digital World and little was known about the Darkness Continent to begin with.

"That's right," Kiwimon replied, "the portal openings in the caverns make up an entire town."

The boys were clearly surprised at the fact that there was such a wondrous settlement amongst the dank caverns, but then again, the Digital World held secrets that were unfamiliar to humans.

Kiwimon kindly invited the human children into the hotel, the interior was just as lavish as the outside, a grand spiral staircase at every floor, shining white marble walls and floors and ornate cathedral style tapestries, woven from rich red and gold, draped the windows. The Digimon offered them any sort of refreshment or room, but all the humans really wanted was to find there missing comrades. Then suddenly, the boys heard familiar voices calling their names. They turned their heads to find their friends happily greeting them as they rushed down the stairs to join them.

Izumi was the first to greet them when she tripped down the last step, landing into Kouichi's arms, causing Junpei's face to turn red with rage and jealousy.

"A…are you okay?" Kouichi asked, his face red with embarrasment.

Izumi nodded, happy that Kouichi was socializing with the gang at all. Like his twin he often preferred to be as little involved in social matters as possible. Unlike his brother however, his aloof nature was paired with a shy persona. And with the tension still rising between the two brothers Izumi hoped that having Kouichi open up to the rest of the team would help him feel more comfortable around his brother. After all, Kouji and the others were all good friends, and with his twin joining the group, the team had increased in both strength and numbers. Unfortunately, a true team's power derives from the connection that they share and the eldest twin didn't have such a strong connection with everyone just yet.

Everyone was happy to have found each other again as they were making plans to head back out again. But Kiwimon intervened, "You've all had such a long journey, I think it best for you to rest. Of course, since it's the Grand Opening, your first visit is free." He then called a Digimon that appeared to be concealed in an egg with stubby dinosaur legs and glowing yellow eyes showing out of the large breaks in the shell. "Digitamamon*," Kiwimon addressed the egg-shaped Digimon, "please take our guests to the dining area, while prepare the rooms."

"Yes sir," Digitamamon replied then turned to the guests, "This way please."

They all wanted to protest, but the truth was that they had walked for so long that they had nearly forgotten how tired and hungry they were. So they thanked Kiwimon for his generousity, and followed Digitamamon to the dining area. Naturally, the room was filled with ornate decorations, there were also individual round, wooden tables scattered all over the room, each table draped with a white tablecloth.

Everyone settled down on one table, except for Kouichi, who sat at the farthest table from the group. Kouji watched his brother in his loneliness, he looked so sad and yet he somehow managed to keep such a gentle smile. His smile… It was almost impossible to tell if his brother was really sad, but somehow he could feel it… Feel years of emotions welled up inside. Years of suffering, but what he suffered from he couldn't quite tell. There was still so much about Kouichi that Kouji had yet to discover, and he feared that most of those negative feelings were actually his own doing.

Kouji hadn't forgotten what Cherubimon had said when his brother confronted him, that there was a powerful darkness in his heart. A darkness invoked by his hatred for his twin. Kouichi had said he had grown past that, but the fact that he could still use the Spirit of Darkness at all proved that the darkness in his heart still remained. It was a different kind of darkness, but darkness nonetheless. Kouji couldn't help but wonder what kind of feelings harbored this new kind of darkness.

Kouji's thoughts were interrupted when the food was brought in. A Delumon* (A/N: See episode 13 – Noodle Shop) rolled in a cart full of delectable foods, each dish steaming with tantalizing scents. Everyone's mouths watered instantly at the very sight. Takuya, Izumi, Junpei and Tomoki were fighting for the first bite, while Bokomon was doting on his surrogate child about proper eating habits and Neemon was taking whatever wasn't being devoured by the human children.

Kouichi was given a separate cart, since he was sitting at a different table. He watched as the others happily feasted. It felt nice to see everyone so cheerful, for Kouichi it was a rare sight. His life was filled with so much sadness he couldn't really remember the last time he was actually happy, but seeing other's smile gave him a pleasant feeling even if it wasn't happiness he had felt.

Full from their meal, and seeing as how the sun was setting, the Inheritors of the Spirits and their Digimon companions decided to retire to their assigned room…there was only one problem...

"I'm sorry," said Kiwimon, head bowed, "but I'm afraid one room won't be enough for all of you. One of you will have to sleep in a separate room."

The team was distraught the idea of parting after their reunion was unthinkable even if it was only for one night. Also, they didn't know which one amongst them would sleep on their own.

"I'll take the other room," Kouichi volunteered.

The others looked at the willing candidate with concern. He didn't seem too happy when he offered, the gang was positive that he didn't really want to take the other room.

"Are you sure?" Takuya asked.

Kouichi sensed his friends' concerns and replied, "Its fine. Just take the room and sleep." And with that he followed Kiwimon, who directed him to the other room.

Everyone was too tired to ask any more questions, so they went to their room to sleep. It had been so long since they had slept on an actual bed, it was a welcome feeling. Even if the beds were a bit hard, they had missed the feeling of sleeping on a genuine mattress instead of piling up leaves as a substitute. After they were all re-accustomed, the team drifted into a peaceful slumber, all except Kouji, who was still troubled by his twin.

* * *

Hours passed as Kouichi stirred in his bed, all alone, in the dark... He couldn't sleep, there still so much going on, he had finally met his younger twin and he had endured an eternity under the service of a corrupt Digimon against his own will, and yet he seemed to have been forgiven by those he had been sent to destroy. He still couldn't grasp the fact that they were willing to welcome him so eagerly, so he continued to maintain some distance, especially with his brother. He wasn't ready to fully face him just yet, honestly, chances were that Kouji wasn't as ready either. The two had only just met and there was they knew so little about each other. At the beginning, Kouichi wanted nothing more than to meet his twin, only to find that Kouji's life appeared to be far better than his. In fact, Kouji's life seemed so perfect that it seemed as though he would never want or need his brother.

He didn't want to think about that at the moment though, so he was about to drift to sleep, when he heard a knock on his door. Though Kouichi was extremely tired he got out of bed to answer the door, but he wasn't prepared for the one who was on the other side…

"Kou…ji," he breathed, trying to control the tone of his voice. It still felt strange for him to say his name, even though they were- to some extent – family.

The younger twin didn't meet his eyes, at first, yet his mouth was open as if trying to speak but no words escaped. He tried and tried to force himself to say something to no avail. But Kouji wouldn't give up, they were brothers in spite of that they had been practically avoiding each other, ever since their chance encounter. It was understandable, but the younger twin didn't want to spend the rest of their lives this way. They were born together after all and, from the moment he learned the truth, it was Kouji's greatest wish that they would live together.

Kouji had finally mustered the courage to say something when they heard a loud crash coming from the lower levels. It was so loud that the rest of team rushed out of their room to find the source. Everyone rushed downstairs to see if there was any trouble.

They saw Kiwimon and Delumon surrounded by ghost Digimon called Bakemon*. The ghost Digimon swarmed the other Digimon, laughing maliciously as they trashed everything in sight. The victimised Digimon tried to stop them by chasing them away, but, fearing to destroy their precious hotel, they didn't use any of their attacks leaving the vandal Digimon free to destroy as they pleased.

Takuya was the first who wanted to spring into action but before he could even evolve the ghost Digimon vanished, leaving the team baffled.

"Where did they go?" asked Junpei as he and the others searched the room for any trace of the disappeared.

"Looks like they're all gone now," Tomoki assumed.

"But," Izumi wondered, "what were they doing here?"

"No idea," Delumon replied, "the Bakemon are mischievous but they always steal something, when they attack."

"But," Junpei countered, "they didn't take anything. They just broke everything and left."

Suddenly, they all heard a distressed cry that was getting louder. It was Digitammamon, running towards them, panicked.

"It's horrible," he cried, "all of the deserts were stolen from the kitchen."

Everyone followed the egg-shaped Digimon to the kitchen, where they saw the mess the Bakemon had left behind. Plates, cutlery and cooking utensils were scattered about and some of the cooking ingredients stained the walls and floors. It was as though a hurricane had swept in. Surprisingly, the only food that was taken was the deserts.

"Apparently, the Bakemon really like sweets," Izumi noticed.

"That's right," Delumon replied, "they always come out at night and take all of the sweets they can find."

That gave the human-Digimon warriors the idea to set up a trap using a cake as bait. Unfortunately, the hotel's supply of confectionaries was all but taken and the resident chef was exhausted from having to endure the attack, so the human children would have to make a delectable pastry on their own. The problem was that none of them were experienced bakers.

Luckily, cookbooks were available to them. They would each pick something to make and set them out in plain sight, in order for them to sneak up on the ghost Digimon and gain the upper-hand.

And thus they began to prepare their sweet traps. Junpei and Izumi already knew a few things about cooking, so they managed well enough but they soon realized that baking was much more complicated than cooking. Everything had to be precisely right or chances were that the recipe would be completely ruined.

Tomoki enjoyed cooking but he was still a complete novice, while the hamburger he had made impressed an experienced Burgermon chef at the Hamburger Village (see episode 19), his success was accidental. Thankfully, this time he would be assisted by a cookbook.

Takuya and Kouji learned from their experience at the Hamburger Village that they were horrible cooks, but their desire to help paired with their competitive spirits encouraged them to at least try. Too bad every batch they tried gave them upset stomachs.

One pastry in particular made Kouji so sick that he wanted to run to the bathroom. Too bad Kouichi was right in his path. The two brothers slammed into each other, both of them fell to the floor. While he was still nervous to even talk to his twin Kouji quickly tried to apologize, only to be stopped by his brother's voice.

"I'm sorry," he said, quietly, "I shouldn't have gotten in your way."

Kouchi sounded as though he had committed an unforgivable crime, much to Kouji's dismay. While it was understandable for the Inheritor of the Spirit of Darkness to feel guilt for his past actions, the elder twin hadn't actually done anything wrong at this point. Kouichi was standing at that very spot long before Kouji even started to feel sick. Therefore, it was Kouji who should have been apologizing.

Kouji had offered to clean the mess that their collision had caused, albeit nervously, but his twin politely refused, saying that it wasn't too big of a mess. But it was a lie, it seemed to be too big of a mess for one person to clean alone. Kouji wanted to insist but he started to feel sick again…

A few seconds later, he started to feel better, Kouji walked back into the kitchen, this time he would insist on helping, unfortunately he came too late. The mess had already been cleaned up…

Tomoki was trying to separate eggs he had seen his mother do it before, shifting the yoke from one half of the egg shell to the other allowing the white to drip out. But he soon realised it wasn't as easy as it looked. The yoke would sometimes slip out or get poked by the shells' sharp edges, and leak out.

Tomoki's cries of frustration were silent cries as he did not want to burden anyone with his inability. But as he strived to perfect the technique he began to understand that he needed, at least, a week's worth of practice to master it, time that he didn't have.

But, however quiet his frustrations were, Kouichi somehow managed to hear them because he was slowly walking toward the youngest of the Warriors.

"Everything okay," he asked cautiously.

Tomoki nodded. "I'm just separating the eggs," he declared, trying to sound confidant. As proof of his confidence, Tomoki attempted to show Kouichi that he was perfectly capable of the task but wound up spilling the entire contents of the egg on the floor.

Tomoki was disappointed in himself he wanted so badly to prove his worth. As the youngest member of the team there were so many things he couldn't do as well as the others, and considered himself a burden, but during his journey he had managed to prove that, despite his shortcomings, he was capable of handling himself. He had hoped to prove himself again in this situation but that clearly wasn't the case.

The young human went to go get a wet towel to clean up the mess, but when he returned he found that his eggs had already been neatly separated into two bowls. The others praised Tomoki for his work considering that it was his first time baking, but the youngest human knew who really deserved the adulation.

Nightfall was drawing nearer and the most of the team had only managed to make a small pile of pastries, too small to entice a group of hungry Bakemon. Despaired by their measly efforts, the gang of Warriors gathered their resolve to bake another batch when a delightful scent wafted through the air. Everyone who caught a whiff was immediately attracted to the mysterious aroma and roamed towards its source.

They tracked the scent all the way to the end of the kitchen, where they found enough cakes to open a bakery. As they wondered how somehow could have made such a colossal amount of pastries they heard a sharp dinging sound of an oven timer. They turned their heads to the nearest oven, where they saw Kouichi removing a freshly baked cake from the rack.

* * *

He noticed that everyone was staring at him, it was uncomfortable and yet he enjoyed the attention, it was strange, for years he had hiding from crowds only to now find himself the center of attention. Since he was Kouji's long lost twin brother, all eyes were mostly on him, as the team tried to make him feel comfortable. However, as reassuring as their presence was, the fact that the brother's still didn't know how to talk to each other quite yet created some tension.

Everyone was amazed at Kouichi's baking skills. His confections were so well decorated and chances were that they tasted just as good.

Curious to find out, Takuya approached the master baker, and said, "They all look so good."

"Thank you," he replied, avoiding eye contact.

"You made all of these?"

Kouichi simply nodded, his eyes shifting slightly towards Takuya.

"Can we try one?" he asked with a heartwarming smile and an eager appetite.

Kouichi was a bit hesitant since they needed these pastried to lure the Bakemon, but he agreed to allow them to try one of his creations.

They picked the biggest cake of the bunch and separated it into equal parts. Neither of them had ever tasted such a delectable pastry in their entire lives. It was so rich and moist, everyone savoured it to the very last bite.

When Kouji took a bite, he wasn't surprised by the incredible taste, he knew Kouichi had culinary talents, which made him depressed because that was the only he knew about his twin at all. And when he ate the cake, it made him feel even worse because it felt as though he was taking advantage of his brother.

Kouji wasn't able to make anything edible, while Kouichi managed to bake so well. It just didn't seem right for him to take something he made without offering something in return. But he couldn't do it, not only because he had nothing to offer, but also because the one thing he could offer Kouichi was so beyond his reach that he could hardly stand it. Kouichi always smiled but Kouji knew better, deep down, they both wanted the same thing.

* * *

They set the bait outside, at the front and back entrances of the hotel. They had split into two groups Takuya, Tomoki and Kouji guarded the front, while Izumi, Junpei and Kouichi took guarded the back. Their Digimon companions stayed inside the hotel with the staff as an extra measure.

Everyone was waiting for the Bakemon to emerge, they waited and waited but nothing budged nothing was even out of place. The constant inactivity nearly drove the Warriors to the brink of madness. As daylight began to arrive, the team grew tired, their eyes were heavy from staying up so long. The longer time passed the harder it became for them to stay awake. The humans became so tired to the point where their minds began to drift away from reality every time they blinked.

Soon, they couldn't keep awake at all.

Once the humans finally fell asleep, the Bakemon emerged from the shadows accompanied by Digimon with a similar shape, the only difference was that these new Digimon wore witches hats. These Digimon were known as Soulmon, Digimon who possessed strong magical powers, powers that they used to entrance everyone in the hotel into a quiet slumber.

The ghost Digimon began their hunt by scavenging the pastries at the back entrance. Little did they know that Kouichi had already evolved into Löwemon before the Soulmon's spell took full effect, possibly reducing its hold on him. While the Digimon were collecting their bounty, the Warrior of Darkness stealthily approached them from the rear, and with his spear, he took out the Bakemon with a single strike.

Now, only the Soulmon remained, the sorcerer-ghost Digimon were harder to handle, given their heightened magic. But Löwemon was relentless, he patiently waited for the right moment, and with his speed, he dodged their attacks and struck them all at once. The Warrior of Darkness scanned the ghosts and, as he returned to his human form, he suddenly felt a strong desire to sleep...

* * *

Kouichi opened his eyes and found himself in his hotel room, where everyone gathered around him with concerned faces. But the concern quickly faded when he regained consciousness.

The hotel staff expressed their gratitude for ridding them of the pesky ghost Digimon, while his traveling companions voiced their relief of his recovery. It was still strange for him to be surrounded by such concerned faces, seeing as how he had spent his life trying to avoid those very expressions, but there was a sudden change in him, for the first time in his life he felt a welcoming warmth.

With the ghost Digimon gone there was no more reason for the Warriors to stay, so Kiwimon directed the team to the opening that would lead them to the Venus Rose.

"They always come at random times," Kiwimon explained, "but you only need to walk through a couple more of them to reach your destination."

The humans thanked the Digimon before walking towards their next challenge…

* * *

**A/N: Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please review to your heart's content.**


	7. Part 7

**A/N: Thank you to all to reviewed me, so far. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. **

* * *

The team was stranded on an island, with no other signs of land. They waited for an opening to appear but none came. Soon, they became fed up with waiting and decided to search for another way off the island.

At first, they thought about building a boat and sailing off the island, but the current was much too strong, any vessel that dared enter those waters would be smashed by the tides. Then, they thought they could ask a Digimon for help, only to find out that the island was completely deserted. In the end, they were left with no other choice but to wait for the opening to appear.

While they waited, they decided to set up a camp, should they need to stay the night. They settled in one of the caves, near the beach. Kouichi, Junpei and their Digimon friends scavenged for food, while the rest of the human team were charged with gathering firewood.

All the while, Kouji was curious about his twin, he was curious about the things he was doing, wondering if Kouichi was thinking about him too. He was begging to understand the longing and fear his elder brother had felt, when he first learned the truth. Everyone else acted so comfortably around Kouichi, despite past circumstances, but Kouji still cringed at the very thought of talking to him. Despite his desire to learn more about his brother, he just didn't have the courage to freely express himself towards his brother.

He had remembered the incident at the hotel. Once the Soulmon's spell had worn off, everyone decided to search the hotel for any sign of the vandal Digimon, but what they found scared Kouji more than any Digimon ever could. He found his brother lying on the floor.

It was the most horrifying thing he had ever seen. Because even if he didn't know what had happened, he feared that Kouichi would never wake and he would spend the rest of his life filled with regret. Regret of never being able to learn about his twin first hand. Regret of never being able to be a true brother to Kouichi. Regret of losing him forever.

When he realized that Kouichi was only unconscious, Kouji personally insisted on carrying him back to his room himself. He wanted to spend every possible moment with his older brother, even if he wouldn't be able to remember some of the moments.

But even after the fright of that near-death experience, Kouji still couldn't muster the courage to even talk to his brother.

With all of the supplies gathered, they retreated back to their shelter, where they feasted on their rations, until sunset. With the feast over, Kouichi decided to take another walk around the island to look for the opening, while the others gathered around the campfire, waiting.

In the end, Kouji could no longer contain his curiosity and asked his teammates, "What is Kouichi like?" They all stared at him curiously, so he continued, "You've been able to talk to him…so…"

The team was relieved to find that Kouji was trying to open up to his twin as each member gladly answered him.

Takuya noted about his righteous nature, Tomoki told him about his incredible powers of observation and his kindness, and Izumi talked about his gentle spirit. Junpei, however, was the only member of the team to find him extremely peculiar.

"What do you mean?" Kouji asked, curious.

"I'm not saying that he's a selfish guy or anything but…"

* * *

_Junpei and their Digimon companions were gathering fruit from the island's trees, Kouichi was doing the same in a different part of the woods, far away from the others. When the sun was beginning to set, Junpei decided to return to their shelter, so he went to find their remaining teammate while the others went ahead back to camp._

_He found Kouichi sitting at the edge of a Cliffside, with a large pile of fruit at his side. The Warrior of Darkness was thoughtfully staring at the mixture of ocean and sky. Junpei wondered what was on his mind, no doubt he was thinking about his twin. _

_Junpei had always been suspicious of their newest arrival, but he quickly understood that his reserved nature was mostly likely created by a life of loneliness, in addition to the fact, that he grew up believing he was an only child for the most part of his life. So, he tried to be more open with Kouichi, even though a part was still somewhat unsure. Junpeir was never the best when it came to understanding others, but that didn't stop him from trying. And so he quietly approached the elder twin, taking care not to disturb his thoughts so abruptly, little did he know that Kouichi was fully aware of his presence._

"_I'm sorry to make you wait," he said quietly.  
Junpei was caught a bit off guard but he kindly waved off his unnecessary apology._

_Despite his kind reassurance, Kouichi still carried a sorrowful expression on his face but hid it from Junpei. Curious, Junpei tried to subtly question him about his possible negative feelings, unfortunately for him, subtlety was not one of his strong suits._

"_Hey, Kouichi," he called, "what's on your mind?" _

"_What are you talking about?" Kouichi's voice hinted his fear, but only slightly._

"_You have a bit of a peculiar face, so…"_

_Kouichi turned to face Junpei, his eyes filled with remorse. "It's all right if you just tell me the truth."_

_The Warrior of Lightning was genuinely confused. He didn't understand Kouichi's statement at all._

_Sensing his confusion, Kouichi continued, "I can tell from the way you look at me. You think I'm a burden."_

_Junpei was stunned at his accusation. While it might be true that he was suspicious of the newest member of their team, he never believed Kouichi to be a burden. In fact, from the day he joined their team he had been nothing but reliable._

"_It's fine if I am," Kouichi pressed on, "I already know how to take care of myself. Just tell me you think I'm a bother and I'll leave." _

* * *

While the others slept, Kouji was left to tend to the fire. He was deeply buried in thought, disturbed by what Junpei had told him. He didn't want his twin to be sad but there was little he could do to console him. After all, they had still only just met, meaning that they didn't know each other well enough.

Every time Kouji looked at his brother, he thought he could see a vulnerable, lonely kid looking for love and acceptance. And Kouji wanted nothing more than to give Kouichi the very thing he thought he could never obtain.

Hours had passed and his twin still hadn't returned from his search. Kouji became worried and decided to go out and look for his brother. He didn't expect to be gone too long so he didn't telling the others, and with the fire already dying there was no need to alert them. Besides, he wanted to try to confront his brother on his own…he needed to.

The island's forest was dense, so finding him was a difficult task to be sure, but Kouji somehow managed to track him all the way to the Cliffside that Junpei had talked about. Kouichi just sat at the edge, kicking his legs and staring thoughtfully at the star-spangled sky.

Junpei might have been right about Kouichi being peculiar, but Kouji didn't believe that it made his brother a bad person.

Kouji quietly climbed out of the bushes from which he was hiding and carefully approached his twin.

"Um…" he started, "did you find anything?"

Suddenly aware of another presence Kouichi turned his head to find Kouji standing right behind him. Kouji didn't look him directly in the eye, in fear of upsetting his twin. In response to his question, he simply shook his head and mumbled some sort of apology.

As it was getting late the two quietly agreed to return to camp, but what was actually a short journey felt like decades worth of walking to the twins. And the silence that accompanied their trek became tiresome to the point where Kouji thought it was a perfect opportunity to finally confront his brother.

But the moment he called his twin's name, a thunderstorm quickly cut him off, and a heavy shower soon followed. The two boys retreated into the nearest cave, only a few feet away from their original encampment. They had no choice but to wait out the storm, the lightening and heavy winds were making the conditions too dangerous to continue walking.

So they waited for the storm to pass, but as they waited, they heard a strange growling noise echoing from the back of the cave. Curious, the two boys headed for the source of the mysterious sound only to find themselves at a dead end. They were about to head back, when the strange growl reoccurred. They turned their heads to find two tiny, glowing orbs floating towards them. Each brother grabbed one and then suddenly, a bright light surged from the gaps of their palms, temporarily blinding the two.

When the blindness finally wore off, they found themselves not in the cave from which they took shelter but a small backyard playground fit for a toddler. It was an ordinary playground, a little swing set, a slide, a teeter-totter and a sandbox. And at the center of the sandbox sat two black haired, blue eyed boy toddlers happily playing together, the toddlers' faces were exactly the same, so the only way to distinguish the two was by their clothing. At the side of the sandbox sat a young black haired, fair skinned woman, who watched the two little boys playing.

The toddler dressed in blue was filling a bucket with sand so messily that he hit his playmate dressed in green. Some of the sand hit the green clothed toddler's eyes, causing tears to fall out. The woman picked up the crying child, trying to wash out the sand with a water bottle, while simultaneously scorning the other.

"Kouji," she scolded, "you shouldn't throw sand around like that look what you did to your brother."

While the infant didn't seem old to understand the woman's reprimanding voice, he sat up walked towards the other toddler and gave him, what appeared to be an apologetic stroke on the arm.

The other toddler seemed to smile as he pointed at his blue clothed counterpart and said, "Kou…ji."

The woman cuddled the green dressed child. "That's right Kouichi that's Kouji, your younger twin brother." She was about to place little Kouichi back into the sandbox when a man called them inside. So she took the two boys by the hand and led them into the house, with the older versions of the children following suite.

It was a fairly modest house, nothing too fancy and just spacious enough to raise a family. The twin toddlers started to rub their eyes and yawning, so the young woman carried both boys and placed them in an empty playpen, where the children drifted to sleep.

The woman watched the two as they fell asleep, with a sad face. Then, the man walked into the scene with a solemn expression. The man was tall, had a medium build and wore glasses, both the man and the woman had dark hair and while he didn't share the gentle features that the woman had, there was something soft about his face.

"I don't feel right about this," said the woman.

"Don't argue. Things weren't working out even before they were born."

"I'm not arguing about that. I just don't think we should separate them like this, they're always at their happiest, when their together."

"We have no choice. It's for the best. I'm sure neither of them would be too happy, if they saw that their parents never get along." He looked at the sleeping twins sadly. "We'll have the divorce papers finalized next week and go our separate ways." He approached the pen, reached down for the toddlers and stroked their hair. Little Kouichi wriggled slightly at the touch, while little Kouji rolled on one side, then their hands met and they ceased all movement.

The man looked at them sorrowfully. "It's for the best," he whispered more to himself than anyone else.

The older twins stared at their parents sad faces, their father was right, they didn't want to see their parents unhappy, but they had felt betrayed by all the lies. And now, the two brothers have finally met and their parents were completely unaware of it. With this in mind, the twins silently wondered how they would react at the sight of the reunited brothers after years of separation.

The image of their sad parents melted away into a small apartment building, the size of it suggested that it wasn't built to house more than one person. And yet there stood two woman, an elderly and a younger one, they had similar features but they were differentiated by their age.

The younger woman was thoroughly scanning a newspaper while the older woman inspected the open suitcases that lay before her.

"You don't have to unpack them," said the younger, "we won't be here for too long."

"Even if you find a job," the older retorted firmly, "it will be a while before you make enough money for your own house."

"I know, but I have to learn to support him on my own."

She turned her attention to the toddler dressed in green, who was attempting to stand up and walk on his own. The child, successful in his feat, wobbly marched towards the young woman, gripping her clothes when he arrived. The child was staring right at her as if he knew something was wrong.

"Mama," the young one called, his voice sounding somewhat like a whisper.

"That's right Kouichi," the woman replied cheerfully, "I'm your mother," She lightly kissed her child's cheek, "and I'm going to take good care of you."

The older version of the toddler watched as the scene unraveled, completely dumbstruck. It hurt him so much to watch, for he had remembered the years that his mother struggled to raise Kouichi on her own. She had managed well enough, but there were times where she needed his grandmother's help, even when she didn't like to admit it. Unfortunately, even with the extra help, she had to work herself sick.

If she had kept both twins, Kouichi couldn't imagine how much harder his mother would have to struggle just to make ends meet.

Kouji watched as his birth mother was coddling his twin. There seemed to be a sad expression on her face, but it was expertly hidden by a gentle smile. It was clear enough to see that the two would live a hard life for years to come.

He had remembered the apartment from his dream in the cave, it wasn't identical to the one they were standing in, but it was just as small. It became clear to Kouji that she had worked herself to the bone to even afford the apartment, and with responsibility of raising one child she had to work even harder. Kouji knew that if she could their mother would've taken both of them in a heartbeat, but if she had Kouji would've regretted it for the rest of his life. Raising Kouichi alone was alread tough on both of them so raising another child might cause her to collapse into a coma.

When Kouichi was Duskmon, Kouji had thought he had seen his brother's inner turmoil, when they fought. He thought he had felt his twin's sadness and fear…The fear and sadness that stemmed from his love for his mother. Kouichi had admitted to being envious of his brother and now he understood why.

He had a father who could actually afford to spend time with him and a mother who cared about him, but never needed to struggle to the point of exhaustion.

For years, Kouji thought about his mother, and how she had supposedly died. He loved her even if he didn't know her, and, from the looks of things, she loved him too, but his love for her was nothing compared to the affection his brother had for her. Kouichi must've felt like he needed to support himself as well as his mother all on his own.

When Kouji was trapped inside Sefirotmon, he had told Karatenmon that he didn't need friends or family. And deep down, he still believed it. He _could _live without them, but before him stood someone he wanted to consider both friend and family. Part of him needed Kouichi, but after seeing everything his twin had done for his mother, he realized that he needed Kouji even more.

Kouichi's reserved nature was a means of protection not for himself but for his loved ones. While Kouji acted aloof in order to protect himself. Kouichi always hid his true feelings while Kouji was always straightforward, however harsh his words were. And Kouichi was willing to accept his family's situation no matter how miserable he was, while Kouji rejected it from the moment his father brought home his future stepmother.

In a word, they were different, but they shared some sort of loneliness in their hearts. Kouji's was born from the constant changes in his life, changes he protected himself against. While Kouichi's was born from the pain of watching others carry a burden that he should carry.

Kouji _could _live without friends or family…but he didn't want to anymore.

Kouichi _wanted_ to the support of those around him, but couldn't afford it.

As the images of their past faded away, the twins the storm raged on with new ferocity. It was a surprise that any of the plants still remained so firmly rooted to the ground. With the tempest becoming more and more unyielding, the twins were forced to spend the rest of the night in their cavern. So, without a word, Kouichi lay down on the cold cave floor and closed his eyes with his twin quietly watching him.

The silence was not only awkward for Kouji, it was unbearable. He couldn't sleep, all he could think about was his twin, who was sleeping adjacently from him. Even in his sleep Kouichi looked pained, Kouji wondered what he was feeling now.

Was he still jealous of Kouji's more luxurious lifestyle or did he feel anger at their father for leaving the rest of his family to start a new one.

Kouji couldn't blame his brother for having such feelings. Their father practically abandons his first wife and one of his two sons and acted as though they're dead or don't exist. Not to mention the fact that he remarried without even notifying his _whole_ family.

Kouji had promised that he would give his new mother the flowers and accept her into his family, but, by doing so, would he abandon Kouichi the same as his father had. For the first time Kouji had thought long and hard about the mother he grew up with. He never hated her, but he never wanted someone to replace the mother he never even knew. Try as he might he just couldn't bring himself to love her, it had hurt so much not being able to know his birth mother. He loved her but he never knew her and suddenly another woman walks into his life trying to take her place.

He didn't want someone to replace the woman he never had a chance to love, but in truth he was more afraid of growing so attached to this new mother figure that he would forget the old one or worse, losing her and living with twice the grief. For as long as he could remember he couldn't grow attached to anyone lest he'd have to part with them and live with the possibility of never seeing them again. But now, looking at his brother, he wanted nothing than to grow attached and love him as any brother would.

Kouichi was just as much Darkness as Kouji was Light, the younger twin accepted and understood that. Kouji was always straightforward and always knew to hold his own, and while he had a caring spirit he never bothered to reinforce it with any gentle gestures. Kouichi, on the other hand, hid his entire world from everyone, he hid his fears and misery for the sake of those he loved and tried his hardest to support his own, even to his breaking point. His Darkness stemmed not from hatred and jealousy but from a need to protect. He protected his mother from any further suffering by hiding the fact that he knew of his twin, he even protected the family he never knew by concealing himself from them. He didn't want to be a burden so he filled all of his negative emotions with his Darkness as a means to hide them. He even hid his anger and hatred with his gentle smile.

Kouji was surrounded by so many loving people that he pushed away to create an empty world free from pain and sadness. Kouichi was also surrounded by loving people but they suffered because they loved him and those he wanted to love seemed to have abandoned him, creating an empty world that filled his heart with anger and fear.

Kouji realized that Kouichi was not who he believed he was. He was lonely but not vulnerable. He had the strength to do what Kouji could not, accept the harsh reality and try to live his life as best he could.

The problem was that Kouichi was surrounded by so much darkness that he had buried himself so deep that no light could reach him. Kouichi was darkness, Kouji accepted it, but that didn't mean he needed conceal himself completely.

Light and Darkness came hand in hand. They're always together. Darkness exists because of the Light, if the two were supposed to exist together then they should at least exist within each other's grasp.

Kouichi was stirring slightly in his sleep. Kouji looked down at him, worried. His twin seemed to be shivering whether or not it was caused by cold or fear the younger twin would never know. Concerned for his brother's well-being, Kouji removed his jacket and draped it over his shaking twin. That seemed to calm him down a bit, Kouichi still seemed roused, so Kouji tried the one thing he wanted to do from the moment the two came in contact…he talked to him.

It was a pitiful, he knew it, he was talking to someone who wouldn't even remember a word, but at least he would have his chance to open himself to his brother.

"I know you've been through a lot," he started nervously, "and I wouldn't expect you to accept it, but… I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you two had to live alone. I'm sorry that he abandoned her…abandoned you. It must've been so painful to find out like that." At that moment he wasn't sure whether or not he should hate his father for lying to him and leaving behind his first wife and first born son. From what he had seen, they were both kind-hearted people who would've done anything for those they care about.

Then there was his stepmother, she was probably just as oblivious to her husband's secret as he was, but that didn't stop Kouji from feeling betrayed. His birth mother was alive but his father told him she was dead, and then he remarried, wanting his son to accept this woman as his new mother. How could he forgive him? How could Kouichi forgive _them_? Maybe the woman in the picture would never love him like she did his brother, but maybe things would've been different if he had known. Maybe he would've learned to accept his new mother more easily maybe Kouichi wouldn't have to feel so burdened and alone.

"I'm sure you must hate us for abandoning you, and I don't blame you," he continued, "but I really do want us to be a family. I want to help our mother…help you be happy like when we were little. I want to be your brother." He reached out for Kouichi but quickly withdrew himself. "I know what happened to you was unforgivable, when we fought I felt all that anger and fear inside of you, and I don't hate you one bit for attacking me the way you did. I try to make myself feel better by saying it was Cherubimon's fault for toying with you, but I think it's more my fault. If I had sensed who you were earlier you wouldn't have to feel so secluded. From the moment I met you I felt a strange connection, but I always shrugged it off. I think deep down I always knew about you but I was so afraid of getting too attached." He felt the strength of his voice failing him, but he needed to finish, he needed to tell him his feelings. "A pitiful excuse, I know, and I'd understand if you didn't want anything to do with me, but I promise if you give me a chance I'll talk to dad the second we return to the human world. I'll tell him I know about our mother-about you- and demand he let us see each other. With or without his permission, I'll go see our mother and help her in any way I can. And I'll thank her for giving life to both of us. I'll thank her for giving life to you. You can even come over if you want, you haven't met my-" He was about to call her mom but quickly decided against it. "…dad's new wife, but she's really nice. She always tries her hardest to take care of me and I'm sure she'd love to meet you. I won't say that I always wanted a sibling because the idea never really struck me, but now that I've met you I want the chance to be the brother I never was. I really am happy to have met you…big brother…Kouichi…and I promise that you'll never have to carry your burden alone for as long as I live."

Kouichi shifted as tears slowly began to form from his eyes. He was shaking violently and whimpering so softly that Kouji had to strain his ears to hear it. Frightened by his twin's behaviour, Kouji tried to find a way to calm him, but he was completely unfamiliar with this kind of situation. In his efforts to quell his twin's trembling, Kouji's hand accidently brushed Kouichi's, calming him slightly.

Wanting to soothe his brother completely, Kouji slowly reached out his hand towards him, his heart beat was out of control. He was afraid… Afraid of what might happen to his brother should he fail, just as he was afraid the moment he realized the truth about Duskmon. He didn't doubt that Kouichi had an incredible amount of strength but in any one person strength was limited. And Kouichi always seemed to push himself past his limits no matter how difficult the challenge.

He was about to make full contact, when suddenly an ear-piecing cries echoed throughout the cave, snapping Kouichi from his frantic slumber. Shocked from the sounds, the elder twin hadn't noticed Kouji's jacket slipping off him as he stood up.

"What's going on?" Kouichi asked.

"I don't know. I think it came from outside."

Kouji quickly grabbed his jacket and the twins rushed out to find the source of the screams and saw their friends in danger. They were all being massacred by the unforgiving tides whose power increased harmoniously with the rage of the storm. The force of the tide was too strong to attempt an evolution, as the gang could only cling to nearby rocks whose height just barely surpassed that of the ferocious sea. And as the team held on for dear life, powerful whirlpools awaited them amidst the crashing tides.

The twins watched as they stood on a ledge just above them. The waters were rising at an incredible rate, but luckily they were just within each other's reach. The twins extended their arms to their sinking comrades. First, they hauled out their Digimon companions, since they were closest, then, headed out for other Inheritors' of the Warriors' Spirits.

They started with Takuya and Izumi since they were the closest and gripping the same rock. Each twin grabbed one of their friends and quickly pulled them out. Exhausted from their combat with the ocean the rescued welcomed their arrival on land by allowing themselves to fall face first on the wet ground.

After that, they turned their attention to the eldest and youngest members of the team. Tomoki and Junpei were fighting both the elements and their space. The rock they shared was relatively small, it was a wonder how both of them were still embracing it with all their might. They were too far to reach from the ledge they stood on, so the twins had to get much closer. They used the other rocks as stepping stones, carefully leaping toward each one so not to slip and fall into the treacherous waters.

Once they were in reach of their friends, they crouched down carefully and extended their hands.

The two each reached for a twin but a powerful wave overcame them and swept Tomoki away. Junpei was able to grab him just in time. Unfortunately, his hands were now too occupied to reach for the twins. With one hand gripping the rock and the other gripping to his young friend, followed by the powerful current, Junpei couldn't even move lest the water carry them both beyond anyone's reach.

Time was of the essence, Junpei's grip on the rock was weakening by the second, the waves were pulling him away. Kouji was about to evolve and see if he could find a way to reach the two, when all of a sudden, Kouichi dove in without warning. Somehow he managed to overcome the powerful tide enough to reach the same rock that Junpei was holding with one arm and used the other one to grip Tomoki's free hand.

The two boys pulled Tomoki towards Kouji, who managed to pull the young one out of the water before any more damage could be done.

Once Tomoki was safe, the younger twin turned his attention towards those who were still caught in the rush of water. Kouichi insisted that Junpei be first, with no time for an argument, he had to comply. The eldest member reached for the younger twin, who also successfully pulled him out.

Once that was accomplished, Junpei evolved into Blitzmon so that he could fly and exhausted Tomoki back to shore.

Kouji moved closer and closer, Kouichi just inches from his reach. But, as their fingertips were about to touch, Kouichi was pulled under.

The wrath of the sea was unyielding, tossing and turning everything it touched taking away Kouichi's breathe as it did so, there was no escape…

The water was murky and the sky was no clearer, but Kouji knew that his brother, his twin was still somewhere below his feet. Kouji was one of the more rational team members, so he knew what might happen if he jumped in, even if he evolved he wouldn't be strong enough to match the current. But he didn't care. He had promised that he would never let Kouichi sink so deep into the darkness that no light could ever reach him and he had no intention on breaking it.

With his Digivice at the ready, Kouji attempted to evolve only to be stopped by the sight of three high speed flying, familiar figures, Blitzmon, Shutumon and Aldamon. Chakmon joined shortly after by jumping across the rocks.

The Warrior of Fire lifted the Warrior of Ice just a few feet above the water. The Warrior of Wind spun her body at high speed in mid-air, dispersing the water as she moved. Shutumon continued to disperse the water as she moved, when she found an unconscious Kouichi, lying unconscious on the ocean floor. As the Warrior of Wind maintained her position, Aldamon flew down with Chakmon in hand, the Warrior of Ice used his icy breath to shore up the water by coating it with thick ice. Unfortunately, the ice was cracking fast, so Blitzmon rushed in and grabbed the unconscious boy before the ice wall had completely collapsed.

After the successful retrieval, the Warriors retreat back to land, where they gently lay Kouichi on the ground. Surprisingly, after being submerged for so long, he was still breathing. Kouji was relieved to see his brother safe and sound, but he was also angry at himself. He had made a promise and broke it all at once.

He had failed to save his twin.

He had failed to save him from sinking into the darkness.

Kouji's thoughts were immediately interrupted, when he heard Kouichi coughing.

"What happened?" the elder twin asked, slightly dazed. He attempted to stand up but was quickly stopped by Takuya.

"Don't push yourself," said the self-proclaimed leader.

Everyone gathered around the dazed twin, voicing their concern and relief. Kouji was the only one who remained silent. Not that, he wasn't relieved to see his brother conscious, but he hadn't the nerve to voice his concerns. Kouichi was only inches away from his hand and Kouji just let him slip, after he had promised him.

Kouji watched as his concerned friends gathered around his twin. He was jealous of how easily they could all talk to Kouichi. At that moment, Kouji was certain that he wanted nothing more than to say the very same words he had told his brother while he was asleep, until he heard Kouichi's apology.

"Everyone," the elder twin started, his staring directly at the ground, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to trouble you." He would've continued but Junpei interrupted.

"Enough with that," His voice was confident and resolute, "Stop thinking that you're a bother to this team." He gripped Kouichi's shoulders lightly. "You're one of the bravest, most selfless people I have ever met and you're extremely resourceful. You're an asset to this team."

Kouichi didn't seem to agree.

"I admit," the eldest of the team continued, "I had my suspicions about you, but I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. You didn't have to save us, but you risked everything for us. I know you're smart enough to know that you couldn't have escaped the current in your human form any better than we could."

"He's right you didn't have to jump in and save me," Tomoki added, "Thank you." He bowed his head to the eldest twin with an eager smile.

Takuya and Izumi both nodded in agreement with the two.

Kouichi stared at all of them, curious. It was still hard for him to believe that they had forgiven him so easily or at all. But, for the first time he was surrounded by concerned faces, Kouichi always felt guilty when people fretted about him because, when they did, they hardly had any time to take care of themselves. And yet he felt a strange warm pleasant feeling from these people, these people who he hardly knew worried about him. Maybe it was because they were born with different privileges than he was so he never needed to worry as much or maybe it was something else. Nonetheless, Kouichi enjoyed the feeling and cherished it.

Kouji watched his brother as the others surrounded him. Kouichi had smiled. This smile was different from his other ones, it was real. He wasn't trying to mask his pain, he was genuinely happy. His usual tenderness was still present but it was his best smile yet. Kouji wished he could get his brother to smile like that all the time. From the moment they met, all Kouji could ever see was his twin's sorrow, making him wish that they were closer, so that he could relieve some of that sadness.

Kouji swallowed his fear and walked past his friends and towards his brother. As he walked closer, Kouichi's smile seemed to fade into a look of uncertainty. Kouji hated himself for making him worry, but he didn't want to spend his whole life fearing his twin.

As the twins stood face-to-face, the youngest of the two was about to speak, when they were abrubtly interrupted by Bokomon's voice.

The humans all turned their heads in the direction of the voice and saw that one of the whirlpools looked unusual. It was an opening.

"Don't tell me we have to go into the water," Izumi retorted, sourly.

Junpei sighed, annoyed. "We just can't seem to get a break."

The humans all evolved into their humanoid forms grabbed their Digimon companions and jumped off the ledge, aiming strictly for the one spot. The evolution protected them from the harsh winds as they rushed down toward their target.

Once they entered the opening the Warriors returned to their human forms, after landing on a hard stone floor. They were back in the cave system and at the end of the tunnel they saw stunned them all. It was an exit and outside their cave hideout was the castle under the Venus Rose. The gang cheered as their mission was coming to an end.

* * *

**A/N: Well, this basically leads to episode 34. I'll leave the status "in progress" for now if you want me to continue. Until then, please review.**


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